


Beautiful Oblivion

by AllieChick



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Eruriren Week, Multi, Teacher-Student Relationship, single parent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-09-29
Packaged: 2018-03-14 14:38:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 37,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3414398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllieChick/pseuds/AllieChick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren is a single parent with a baby girl attending university. He happens to be taking a class from Professor Smith and his ornery TA Levi. As Eren attends class and receives help with his work, he finds the professor and TA are not as cold and distant as they seem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Faith

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, here we go! This is my contribution for Eruriren week, with each chapter following a central plot and based off the given prompt. This isn't supposed to be a super big project for me, but already it's gotten bigger than I planned. Oh well, more ot3 for everyone I guess! 
> 
> The premise is based off my experiences going to a university that had many young parents who brought children to class. And also my experiences in Econ 110, which remains to be the only class to ever kick my ass. *shakes fist*

_Chalk White and Frail_

As was usual, Eren rushed to the lecture hall and slipped in the doors right before Levi closed them. He huffed over to his usual seat towards the back of the room, where he was less likely to disturb others and could spread out more. With a relieved sigh, he slipped the book back off his back, followed by the diaper bag hanging from his arm. On his front, a baby was strapped in a harness, eyes closed and sleepy, content to be walked around campus with her dad. When Eren sat down- quite heavily, as he was out of breath from his run across campus- he checked quietly on Mikasa, giving her a gently pat on her fluffy head. 

Professor Smith, his TA Levi, and the rest of the Econ 110 class were used to this. It was routine now for Eren to be the last in the classroom, rushing in with his baby, just in time for Professor Smith to start his lecture. At the beginning of the semester, several of the class members had been concerned that a baby in the room would cause a disturbance. Babies weren’t known for being quiet after all. But Eren had practically begged Professor Smith to allow him to bring Mikasa with him. 

“Please Professor,” he’d pleaded, the baby in question in his arms as he had sat in Smith’s office. Before him were the two intimidating figures of Erwin Smith and Levi Ackerman. “She’s just 3 months old and doesn’t do much. Mikasa’s a calm baby. She hardly cries.” 

“You can’t guarantee that she’ll never start crying in the middle of class,” Levi had countered. He had stood beside Professor Smith, sitting in his chair, which only accentuate his short stature. But it didn’t stop him from looking as stern as a tenured professor himself. “Babies are unpredictable. The learning environment of the whole class is more important.” 

Eren face had looked panicked and desperate. “If she starts being loud, I’ll take her out of the room,” he had promised. Already, he’d been to his other professors and the Dean of Students to get permission to bring his baby to campus. Damn him if he didn’t get through this one last hurdle. “I have nowhere else to keep her during class,” he had stated finally, with his hands clenched tightly. He had been determined to make this work. 

“I don’t think it’ll be a problem,” Professor Smith had decided. He had watched the student before him with an amused expression. He’d continued, “At the very least, maybe having a baby around will keep people from falling asleep during lectures.” 

With those joking words, Eren had sagged in relief. 

Since that day, three weeks ago, Eren had attended every class, baby hanging off his chest, taking vigorous notes. That is, if he didn’t fall asleep mid lecture. Like he promised, Mikasa barely made a peep. Only occasionally did she make small murmurs of complaint, until Eren adjusted his hold on her, or gave a comforting pat. She was a quiet, easy little thing, for which Eren was grateful or he’d never be able to attend university. 

The excitement of a baby in class quickly became routine and normal. To others, it seemed odd that a 22 year old was just starting his freshman year at university and thus taking Econ for his GEs. Add to the fact that he was a single dad with a tiny baby, who actually wasn’t biologically related to him at all. But he was her legal guardian and looked after her as if she was his own, even if she came to him through circumstances he didn’t like to discuss. 

Personally, Professor Smith was impressed by the boy. He had such energy about him, despite his situation. In the few times he’d spoken with Eren, Erwin was struck by his determination and enthusiasm. As a student and parent, Eren seemed to throw all his efforts into everything he did. Even a basic general ed class such as Erwin’s. 

That was how Erwin, the usually cool and distant, notoriously difficult 36 year old professor found himself making an exception for Eren. The other exception was Levi, of course, who he’d been mentoring since he’d joined the Master’s program. He enjoyed Levi’s abrasive personality and drive. It reminded Erwin of himself a little, with much less tact of course. Cut Levi had had to fight for everything he had and accomplished. This was something Erwin had experienced as well. He was starting to suspect that Eren was learning to do the same as well. 

Often, when Erwin’s lectures ended and the students filed out of the class, Eren was the last one out of the room. Sometimes this was because he was asking questions about the lesson- Erwin found that though Eren was very determined, he was not always the best and understanding economics. On other occasions it was because he fell asleep during the lecture. Erwin didn’t mind that much; many people fell asleep in his class, as not everyone found introduction to economics to be interesting. In addition, Erwin guessed that Eren had a lot on his plate and rarely caught a moment to rest. 

This day in particular though, Eren fell asleep and then proceeded to sleep through the rest of his classmates packing up and leaving. The room was left empty, except for Professor Smith, Levi, and Eren slumped in his seat, his cheek resting against Mikasa’s soft head. 

“So, do we leave him or what?” Levi asked, slipping his bag over his shoulder. “Kid probably doesn’t get a lot of sleep.” 

Erwin hummed in agreement, not at all surprised by Levi’s unique brand of compassion. “Yes, but he might have other classes to get to,” Erwin replied. “I think he would appreciate being woken up.” 

Levi made that face he always did when he knew Erwin was right, but wasn’t particularly happy about it- with his lips in a tight line and his brows scowling a little more than usual. Yet, he followed Erwin as he walked to the other end of the lecture hall, up a few steps to the back row. Up close they could both see how truly sprawled out Eren was. His bags sat on either side of him, with a notebook balanced on his legs, which stretched out in front of him. The baby was out of the harness and curled against his left shoulder, sleeping as well. 

“Eren,” Erwin said gently. “Eren, class is over.” 

The young man stirred, before suddenly jerking awake. The jostling left the baby making small complaints from being suddenly woken. With a confused expression, Eren looked around the room quickly before settling on Erwin and Levi. Then his eyes widened. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” he apologized immediately. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep, I swear!” 

“It’s alright, Eren,” Erwin replied. “I’m more concerned that you didn’t wake up.” 

“Oh shit, what time is it?” Eren asked quickly, scrambling one handedly to find his phone. 

“Relax, it’s only a few minutes after class,” Levi supplied for him. 

Quite visibly, Eren blushed and began to gather up his things- again, only with one hand, as he was supporting the baby against himself still. “Thanks for waking me up,” he said without looking up. He looked dazed and still very tired, but he was blinking rapidly to help wake himself up. 

From the corner of his eye, Erwin could see Levi shifting uncomfortably, clearly ready to go. If he didn’t have things to discuss with him, Erwin knew he wouldn’t hesitate to leave. However, Erwin was still concerned with the student in front of him and wasn’t going to relieve his TA just yet. 

“It’s no problem, Eren,” Erwin replied. “If I may ask, is everything alright? You seem stressed.” 

“Your scores on the last few pop quizzes have sucked,” Levi added, supporting Erwin’s concerns. 

“I’m fine,” Eren replied quickly, struggling to wrangle his book into the bag between his knees with one arm. “Just a little busy is all. Parenthood and stuff.” 

In reply, Erwin hummed. He was certain that wasn’t all of it. Eren stopped and looked up a moment and saw Levi’s obviously disbelieving face and the more subtle expect look from his professor. 

With a sigh, he amended, “Okay. I’ll be honest. This whole parenting thing is a lot more work than I expected. And school is kicking my ass.”

“So, between falling behind in school, you’re deciding to fall on sleep,” Levi supplemented. “You’re an idiot.” At the amused expression from Erwin, who knew he didn’t mean the words as harshly as they came out, and Eren’s clenched jaw, Levi continued, “It’s clearly doing wonders for your scores.” 

“Look, I’m not stupid, but it always takes me longer to get the school work done than most people. I just have to put more effort into it is all,” Eren replied defensively. More quietly, he added, “It’s just a sacrifice I have to make.” 

Levi looked like he wanted to say more, but Erwin stopped him with a look. There was no doubt that the boy worked hard, but it would do no good if he burned himself out. So Erwin had an idea to help Eren out instead. 

“Why don’t you let Levi help you?” Erwin suggested. Eren looked up from where he was adjusting the baby harness on his chest. Next to him, he could feel Levi giving him an uncertain look. 

“What do you mean?” Eren asked. 

“Well, Levi does have office hours that nobody seems to take advantage of. He could help you with the material for the class. He’s one of my best students. I’m sure he can help you learn better study techniques,” Erwin explained. 

After considering the suggestion a moment, Levi nodded. “Yah. I mean, I could help you out.” 

Eren blinked. “Are you sure?” he asked. 

Levi shrugged. “It’s what I get paid for. And I’m going to be there anyway. Might as well do my job.” 

“That would really be a help,” Eren said with a look of relief. He stood up and heaved his bag onto his shoulders and grabbed the diaper bag. “Thanks for the suggestion Professor.”

Erwin smiled. “I’m here to help my students succeed, no matter their circumstance.” 

And that was how the whole thing began. 

 

Immediately, Eren began going to Levi to see if it would help him study. When looking up office hours, Eren found they were held on the opposite days from class, in the afternoon which fit into his schedule. Levi’s office was located in the same building they held class, in a room that was divided into many mini offices, like cubicles for all of the student teachers and TA’s of the department to share. It was a busy, messy space, with papers stacked all over, sticky notes posted on desks and walls, and books scattered haphazardly. The only space clear was in the corner, where Levi’s desk sat. 

When Eren had looked up the room number, he hadn’t expect a room quite like this. He stood awkwardly in the doorway, seeing several students that were definitely not Levi and began to wonder if he got the room right. 

One of the people in the room noticed his loitering. “Can I help you?” 

“I’m looking for Levi? Is this where-“ Eren began asking. 

“Oi, Eren,” the voice he was looking for called from behind him. 

Eren spun around quickly, which made Mikasa whine. He patted her head in apology and saw Levi walking down the hallway, looking a little dwarfed by his backpack. He marched right up to Eren, then continued past, not stopping to speak or going into his office. Confused, Eren stood and watched as Levi continued down the hall. 

“Are you coming? Or are you just gonna stand there?” Levi asked, not even looking back. 

Immediately, Eren rushed forward and followed behind the smaller man. Again, Mikasa didn’t appreciate being jerked around while trying to sleep. Eren patted her again, letting his fingers run over her fuzzy hair. He hoped she wouldn’t be fussy during the time Levi helped him study. After all, he had been vocally opposed to letting Eren bring her to class. 

Levi was a stern and very serious person. Eren didn’t feel particularly comfortable with him and felt that overall, Levi didn’t like him. Still, Levi was brilliant and Eren admired him. He was grateful that Levi was going to him, even if it was at the suggestion of Professor Smith. 

“Uh, where are we going?” Eren asked finally, as Levi brought him up a set of stairs. 

“We’re going to the 3rd floor. There’s’ a group of tables up there that nobody ever uses,” Levi explained, not at all winded from the climb. “I thought it’d be better for you and the kid. Unless you wanna go back to that claustrophobic nightmare they call an office.” 

Eren shook his head. “No, that sounds good. Thank you,” he replied, embarrassed that his breath was coming in gasps. Though to be fair, he was also carrying a baby and a diaper bag, which was very heavy. Babies required a lot of shit at any given time. 

He was surprised by the consideration Levi was giving, even if he wasn’t particularly thrilled to be going up three flights of stairs. It hadn’t occurred to Eren that Levi would bother to put that much though into their study time. He’d assumed that Levi was going to be as curt and dismissive as he always seemed to be. Clearly, Eren was wrong. 

“Damn, you need to exercise more if some stairs are winding you,” Levi remarked as he led Eren down a hall and to an open area by some windows, where tables and chairs had been set up. 

There was nobody else around and Eren wasn’t sure anyone else ever came up here. Still, as was always the case on campus, finding an area with empty seating and outlets was always exciting. Eren almost felt that he’d discovered a secret garden, a place where there would always be an open seat and place at a table. Even a window! Not even the library had that sort of guarantee. It was worth the walk up the stairs- though if Eren came back here, and he would, he’d try and find an elevator. 

“Wow, this is great!” Eren declared as he dropped his bag heavily on the table. 

“That’s the great thing about 3rd and 4th floors surrounded by nothing but department offices- they have plenty of quiet room,” Levi replied with a small smirk. “You have to go out of the way, but it’s worth it.” 

Eren nodded in agreement, taking a moment to wonder how his life had changed so much that finding a good place to study on campus was one of the best things to happen all week. 

He settled down in his seat and pulled Mikasa from her harness. Then he rummaged around the diaper bag to find a blanket to swaddle her in. Balancing her on his legs, he wrapped her up nice and snug. She always got cranky if she spent too long in the harness. Eren could understand why she preferred being held rather than left to hang against his chest. She made a few pleased noises and rested her head against Eren’s shoulder as he held her there. 

“That’s better, isn’t it ‘Kasa,” Eren murmured to her. “Yah, I know,” He replied again, even though she hadn’t made a sound. 

Then he remembered that Levi was sitting right across from him. He looked up to see Levi watching him with a surprised look. 

“You’re talking to a baby,” he observed. 

The blush on his cheeks was unwanted and embarrassing. But at the same time, Eren didn’t particularly want to be embarrassed being caught in ‘Daddy’ mode. 

“Yah,” he replied a little defensive. “It’s good for babies. And she likes it.” 

“Really?” Levi responded, not sounding interested at all. “Is she going to be a distraction?” 

“No,” Eren replied. “Well, she’ll need to be fed in about 40 minutes. But after that she’ll probably just nap.” 

“Let’s get started then,” Levi said. 

First, Levi went through all the pop quizzes Eren had bombed in the past several classes. Eren tried not to be ashamed; especially as Levi never sugar coated anything. Not that Eren felt he was intentionally being mean. He was just starting to understand that Levi’s harsh language and coarseness was a part of his way of speaking. The whole thing was very helpful. The last few class sessions had been difficult and he’d fallen behind. Not to mention he’d hardly had time to sleep, let alone study. The concepts were hard for him to wrap his mind around. But Levi was able to clearly explain everything to him. He seemed to know exactly how Eren learned, how his brain worked. 

Along the way, with some criticism of the organization of Eren’s notes and general study habits, Levi offered him better ways to get his work done in a timelier manner. 

“Jesus Eren. This is basic study habit stuff,” Levi remarked. “Didn’t’ some teacher explain this to you in high school?” 

With a small smile and scratch at the back of his neck, Eren replied, “I wasn’t exactly a good student then. I guess I’m trying to make up for it now.” 

“Why am I not surprised?” Levi asked rhetorically, before repeating the importance of doing the assigned reading before class. 

Right as Eren had said, Mikasa began to whine exactly 41 minutes later. She mouthed at Eren’s neck and complained when it wasn’t the food she was looking for. 

“Hold on baby girl,” Eren placated, shifting her to the crook of his arm as he dug through the diaper bag. “Let me get your bottle.” He was having a hard time finding what he was looking for though. He looked up to Levi, “Could you hold her for a second. I just need to find her bottle and fill it with warm water.” 

“She’s not going to spit up on me, right?” Levi asked warily. 

Eren laughed. “No, she probably won’t.” 

That wasn’t very convincing for Levi, but he moved around the table and let Eren set her in his arms. He held her stiff and awkwardly, not sure if he was doing it right. But Eren wasn’t paying much attention to him, so Levi moved slowly back to his chair. 

By the time Eren came back with a prepared bottle of formula, Levi was lightly caressing Mikasa’s cheek with a finger as she cried quietly out of hunger. Eren observed the thoughtful look on Levi’s face, until Levi realized he was there and quickly looked impassive again. 

“She’s a quiet thing,” Levi observed as he handed her back over. 

Eren nodded. “Yah, even when she’s upset, she doesn’t get very loud,” he agreed. He adjusted her in his arms and watched fondly as she sucked at the bottle eagerly. “She’s a good girl. Even if she keeps me busy.” 

Levi hummed and looked like he wanted to ask several questions, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he continued to talk about economics and Eren’s shitty note taking.   
After an hour, they’d covered a lot more material than Eren had expected and he understood it all too. Now he was mostly caught up and felt much more prepared to do the most recently assigned homework and reading. It was also the end of Levi’s office hours for the day. 

“Thank you so much for the help,” Eren said sincerely, expecting their study session to be over. 

“What are you talking about?” Levi replied. “We still haven’t gotten to the next class assignment.” 

Eren blinked in surprised. “But aren’t your office hours over now?” he asked. He was under the impression that Levi wasn’t going to help him more than he needed to. After all, as a Masters student, he was probably quite busy. 

“What does that have to do with anything?” Levi asked. “You’re not leaving until I know you can do this assignment right.” 

“Oh. Okay,” Erne said. Again, Levi was defying his expectations and being kind in his own abrasive way. 

Then, he smiled to himself as he realized that Levi was far less mean than his intimidating persona led people to believe. So the two continued to work until Levi felt they had down enough. By the end, Eren was tired and having a hard time focusing. He could feel his brain buzzing from all of the effort and new information. 

Maybe he would sneak a quick nap before work after this, he considered with a large yawn. 

“I expect to see you again,” Levi said firmly as he stood up with his books already gathered up and put away. “And get some more sleep. You look like a damn zombie.” 

 

The next day, Eren had class. This time he felt he followed the lecture much better than usual. When the day’s pop quiz was passed around, Eren was confident that he’d passed it. Already, Eren could see that Professor Smith’s idea had been a good one. Levi was definitely going to be a big help for his performance in class. He’d also been able to get to sleep sooner the night before, which made it much easier for him to stay awake in class. 

As usual, when Professor Smith dismissed the class, Eren was one of the last to leave the room. But when he reached the front of the lecture hall, Professor Smith waved him over. 

“Hello Eren,” he greeted kindly. “How are you doing?” 

“I’m great,” Eren replied honestly. 

“That’s good to hear. Levi has been telling me how your study session went,” the Professor remarked 

Eren felt a little shy at that. He hadn’t known that Levi would be reporting back to his Professor, who he admired and wanted to impress. Though Eren should’ve expected it. 

“Oh?” was all he could manage. 

“Yes and I’m impressed with how well you put up with him,” Prof Smith said with a smile. From the other end of the desk where he was going through a stack of papers, Levi made an indignant noise. 

Eren laughed at that. “It’s easier than I expected sir,” he said, playing along. 

“This is how you thank me for the time sacrificed on your thick skull,” Levi said huffily, but both of them knew he wasn’t actually bothered. 

“On a more serious note, it sounds like you’re doing well. Levi’s confirmed my belief that you have great potential,” Erwin praised. 

That made Eren blush deeply. “Thank you Professor. That means a lot,” he replied softly. He’d never had a teacher or professor believe in him like that, and he was grateful that it was happening now, at a time where he probably needed it most. 

“I mean it Eren. You’ve got quite a drive in you. I believe you could do great things, if you put your mind to it,” the professor spoke with all seriousness. 

“I’ll try to live up to that expectation, sir,” Eren replied, almost stumbling over the words. 

“Alright Erwin, you better stop before Eren bursts from embarrassment,” Levi cut in. “I don’t want my efforts to go to waste.” 

They all laughed, Eren quite nervously. But he was feeling more elated then he ever had before. The feeling stayed with him all the way through his next class. 

 

Eren was finding that the best part of his new study sessions with Levi, was getting to know Levi himself better. As their sessions continued the observations of Levi’s subtle kindness were reaffirmed again and again. There was also the little habits of Levi’s: the way he held his pen, the way he repeatedly smoothed the pages of his textbooks, or the way his eyebrows would twitch whenever Eren gave a particularly ridiculous wrong answer. 

Even though Levi worked him hard, Eren always enjoyed the time spent together. He felt that Mikasa enjoyed it too. 

After that first time Levi had held Mikasa, he found reasons to hold her again. Sometimes he fed and burped her while Eren focused on his work. Or if Mikasa was being fussy, Levi would offer to take her and shake bright toys in her face or pat her back until she settled down. It really pleased Eren to see how fond of Mikasa Levi was. Who couldn’t resist such a cute face? A small feeling of pride and tenderness welled up inside Eren when he saw the little grins Levi would give her when he though no one was looking. 

Surprisingly, Mikasa was fond of Levi as well. Usually, she took a little while to warm up to new people. But she was comfortable being held by Levi for extended periods of time right away. She would greet him with that bright, toothless smile of hers whenever she saw him and Eren could see how pleased Levi was with this. He never pointed it out though, as he knew he would be embarrassed. 

Another thing Eren was enjoying was that along with studying with Levi, he was getting to know his professor better as well. After every class, Prof Smith had a small conversation with him. It started out as a way for him to check up on Eren’s progress, but soon he was asking about how Eren and his girl were doing. Eren found himself sharing many parts of his life with Professor Smith, who always was keenly interested. Then he offered up advice or gave just the encouragement that Eren needed.   
Eren found himself looking forward to the end of class for vastly different reasons than usual. 

 

Several weeks into the arrangement and Eren had no idea how he’d get by without the help from Levi and Prof Smith. Even the professor was helping him with his studying. On a few occasions, Levi had led Eren to the professor’s office when a particular concept just wasn’t coming through to him. 

Eren found that Prof Smith’s office was not as clean and bare as Levi’s little cubicle corner. It felt more honey with books and papers stacked neatly on his desk and bookshelves. There weren’t any pictures up of family or friends, only certificates and diplomas and news clippings. Though the office did have a more personal, lived in feel, Eren could help but wonder if Prof Smith did many things outside of teaching. He wondered if, besides himself and Levi, Prof Smith had any people he talked with for pleasure. If he had any close friends. 

Visits to Prof Smith’s office tended to derail from studying a bit, as the professor tended to start conversations about things other than economics. Eren was always happy for the diversions and laughed at Levi’s fierce scowl when they happened. It was just for show, or so Eren figured, as Levi always seemed relaxed sitting by Prof Smith, with Mikasa in his lap. 

It quickly became routine, Levi and Eren would meet at the same place and the same time every other day of the week. Frist Levi would go over the most recent lecture, letting Eren ask questions and try practice problems, then help Eren through any reading or other assignments for the class. Eren’s grades improved immediately, though the true test of how he was doing would come with the midterm- which was worth a good 40 percent of his final grade). 

Quickly, Eren was getting the hang of Economics and it took less time for Levi to help him, or rather, guide him through the material. So Levi started to help Eren with his other classes as well. Levi was good in almost any subject, Eren was learning. 

Gradually, the amount of time Eren was spending slogging through school work was shrinking and the amount of time he spent sleeping was increasing. He was feeling better than he had since starting at the university, thanks to Levi and Professor Smith. The amount of gratitude and admiration he felt for them was steadily increasing as well.   
Eren wasn’t sure how it had happened, but he had two of the admirable people he knew looking after him. It was a bit of a relief, as things hadn’t been going his way in the last year. Nobody else was left to look after him and he had a child of his own that needed his care and attention. But now he had Professor Smith and Levi quietly backing him up. Eren felt that he could probably do anything with their help and support. 

 

All of it paid off when the midterm came around. Eren was nervous, as he’d never been a good test taker. But Levi and Professor Smith assured him that he would do well. He’d done a lot to prepare and he hoped that he could remember it all under pressure. 

He’d managed to talk Jean into watching Mikasa during the time, so he could properly focus on the exam. Jean had complained that he was no good with babies and that Armin should watch her like usual. But Eren had begged, reminding Jean that Armin wasn’t available then and that he already watched Mikasa every night when he went to work. It wasn’t fair to ask him to drop everything whenever Eren needed extra help. So with the promise of a pizza, Jean hesitatingly looked after her. 

It surprised Eren when the entire class noticed his daughter’s absence. Several of his classmates gave him concerned or confused looks. Levi himself had asked him if everything was aright with her when he passed out the tests to the class. 

“Mikasa’s fine,” Eren assured him, feeling amused at the way the concern left the Ta’s face. “She’s with a friend, for the exam.” 

“I could’ve held her,” Levi remarked and then looked away. “Just so you know. For next time.” 

Eren smiled brightly, “Alright.” 

Levi moved to walk away before offering him good luck. 

The exam was hard, but not any more difficult than Eren expected. He felt he did pretty well, enough to make Levi and Prof Smith proud. It was certainly well enough to pass up any other score he’d had since middle school. 

The next class, the tests were handed back at the end of the lecture hour. 

“Your scores are written on the inside first page,” Professor Smith explained as Levi went up and down the rows, finding the right student for each paper. 

As Levi got closer and closer to where he sat, Eren’s heart started to beat frantically in anticipation. This was the moment. Prof Smith and Levi had expressed their faith in his ability to pass, but now at the moment of truth Eren wasn’t sure. When Levi handed him his test packet, his face betrayed nothing. 

Eren held the paper in his shaking hands. There didn’t seem to be many red correction makes on the first page, which was a good sign. But he couldn’t turn the page. Not yet. He waited until the class was dismissed and the students filed out of the room. With his things gathered and test still he hand, he went to the front desk as was routine by now. 

“I haven’t checked it yet,” he told them, before either of them could speak. Again, the expressions on their faces gave Eren no hint of how he’d done. “I wanted to do it with you guys. I couldn’t check it by myself.” 

“Well get on with it,” Levi urged, a little impatiently. 

Quickly, like ripping off a band aid, Eren flipped the first page over and looked at the big red score circled at the top. 

It read 81%.

He stared at the page for a few moments before the words could properly register in his brain. And then he let out and a cry of surprise.

Eren was so excited that he grabbed Levi and pulled him into a tight hug. The smaller man was stiff and didn’t return the embrace, but awkwardly patted his back in congratulations. Beside them, Professor Smith smiled in amusement. With being suddenly crushed between them, Mikasa started to cry and Levi pushed Eren away with a small chide. 

“Be careful of the kid,” he admonished. 

“I’m sorry ‘Kasa! Daddy didn’t mean to,” Eren cooed and patted the little girl on the back. 

Once she quieted down, Eren turned to his professor and felt the overwhelming urge to hug him as well. He resisted, knowing it probably wasn’t appropriate. As a TA, Levi was still a fellow student and it was okay for Eren to hug him. Even if Levi acted as though he didn’t like it. 

“Wow, I can’t believe I did so well!” Eren said instead. “Thank you so much for helping me!” 

“You earned that grade Eren,” Prof Smith replied. “We both knew you were capable. You just needed a little guidance.” 

“You did a halfway decent job,” Levi added for his part, a small smirk on his face. 

The feeling, that warm feeling Eren had felt before, was there again.


	2. Sports

Not My State of Mind

 

Normally, Levi didn’t care at all for school spirit. Yes, he was grateful to be going to the university that he was at. He was glad he was on scholarship while he was here. However, Levi had no interest whatsoever in sport and rivalries. It was a safe bet to say that h didn’t have any clue what was going on with the latest games or how the school was matching up with others. 

This was not to say that he held distain for sporting as an institution. While he was in high school, he was grateful for the cross country and wrestling teams for keeping him out of trouble, teaching him discipline, and being an outlet for aggression for him. But all the ridiculous pageantry and hype that came with university sporting events was a waste in Levi’s opinion. It was also a distraction. 

But Levi chose not to express all this when Eren started to excitedly discuss the upcoming soccer match. The boy looked so bright and lively when he talked about it. Levi didn’t want to put a halt to his enthusiastic tirade. 

“Between work and classes, I haven’t had a chance to go to any of the matches so far,” Eren explained. He spoke quickly and at a loud volume, but that always happened when he spoke passionately about something, as Levi had learned. 

“I didn’t realize you were such a fan,” Erwin remarked with amusement. He didn’t seem to at all regret bringing up the subject in passing. “You’ve never brought it up.” 

Levi wanted to get back to the material they’d all been reviewing. With the end of the semester drawing near, there was a lot to do. There were certainly other things deserving of his attention at the moment. 

But, as had been a problem in the past, Erwin was being a big handsome distraction that demanded his attention and no matter how much Levi reminded himself that Erwin was only his mentor, he still gave in to that part of himself that was willing to blow off working on his thesis or helping Eren to spend time with him. Only now, there was also a cute undergrad thrown into the mix with his damn adorable baby and Levi knew he was starting to care too much about all of them. 

Still Levi let himself be distracted. 

“Oh, I guess I don’t talk about it much anymore,” Eren said, a little quieter. There was a look in his eye, like there was something else going through his mind. Something he didn’t want to mention. Something unpleasant. 

“Get to your point,” Levi said curtly, not wanting Eren to feel pressured to mention anything that made him uncomfortable or let his thoughts linger too long on unpleasant things. And also, Levi wanted to get back to studying. 

“Right, well. Since I’ve been having more time recently- thanks again, by the way- Armin suggested that we and our little group of friends go to the big rivalry match on Friday,” Eren explained. “It’ll be Mikasa’s first game! And we’re excited, aren’t we sweetheart?” The last bit was cooed to the little lump curled against Eren’s chest and shoulder. 

“That sounds like fun. I’m glad you have the opportunity Eren,” Erwin stated. 

Levi could see the blush on Eren’s cheeks and he felt a twinge of sympathy. He knew the undeniable effect Erwin had on those around him with his voice and commanding presence. It was no wonder the boy was slowly falling for his charm, Levi thought. 

“Well, I actually wanted to ask- Well, Mikasa and I wanted to invite you two to the game too,” Eren offered, stumbling through the words a little. Levi watched the way he looked at Erwin intently. “I don’t know if you’re already planning on going. But we could meet up at the stadium. We, Mikasa and I of course, wanted to spend some time with you outside of these study sessions.” 

Levi had to give props to Eren for having balls. It should have been expected though. If Levi had learned anything about him in their time together, it was that if Eren wanted something, he would do anything humanly possible to get it. 

“That sounds wonderful. I’d love to go. It’s been a while since I properly showed some school spirit,” Erwin replied and Levi rolled his eyes. “What about you Levi?” 

Then Eren and his intent, anticipating face turned toward him. In truth, Levi didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to be in a situation with two people he liked more than he should who- he was also pretty sure- liked each other. It was too messy and confusing and emotional. Things he generally tended to avoid. 

But Eren looked at him with those eyes. And Levi couldn’t say no. 

“Fine,” he relented. “But only because Mikasa wants me there too.”

 

Eren wasn’t quite sure of what he was doing. When he told Armin about inviting his TA and professor to the match, he’d said that he just wanted a chance to spend time with his friends and Levi and Prof Smith were his friends. Well, he considered them to be so at least. They spent all that time in each other’s company, they laughed together, and even talked a little about their personal lives – though Eren did notice the way all three of them seemed reluctant on the subject and very particular about what was shared. 

He justified the invitation by reasoning that he wanted to get to know them better in a more personal way. A way that was difficult in the formal setting of a classroom. The end of the semester was near and Eren knew he wouldn’t be having any classes with Prof Smith in the next one. The thought of their friendship tapering off because it was only one of convenience or because they were forced to spend a lot of time together, was a very sad thought. So Eren was working to prevent that. 

But there was also that part of Eren that knew he wasn’t solely interested in friendship from the two of them. 

It was no secret that Eren was fond of dick- something that in his previous career had caused him trouble. But at university, in a more open and diverse environment, this wasn’t the case anymore. And Eren was quite certain that Erwin and Levi were both at least a little bit attracted to men as well. 

It was also no secret that both Levi and Erwin were very attractive individuals. 

But, as Eren reminded himself, perusing something with either of them bordered on inappropriate. Besides, Eren wondered if he was only having this crushes because he was in a dry spell and suddenly having two attractive men pay attention to him. The way they looked after him made his starved heart feel confused and flattered. 

There was also the fact that Eren was beginning to suspect there was something going on between Levi and Prof Smith. He could just be imagining things, but Levi who seemed comfortable with very few people was completely relaxed around the professor. Maybe it was because the two had spent a lot of time together, but they could read each other well and seemed to communicate without speaking.

But those were all things that Eren shouldn’t be concerned about. His main goal was to strengthen his friendships during this match. It was his opportunity to enjoy himself and be social. He’d had to neglect that part of himself since the semester started. Since Mikasa came under his guardianship to an extent as well. Not that Eren regretted having Mikasa and finally going to university. It just had required some sacrifice and adjustment on his part. 

He was really excited to watch some soccer though. 

 

“Oh my god. When did you get Mikasa that adorable hat?” Armin asked as the two of them were getting ready to leave for the soccer match that Friday evening. 

Eren beamed from his spot on the couch, trying to wiggle Mikasa into little baby mittens. With it being the end of November, it was going to be a chilly night and Eren didn’t want his little girl to get too cold. She was already in a puffy snow suit and wearing a hat that has Armin pointed out, was adorable. It was red with little tassels and a large puff at the top. 

“You know Reiner, the guy from my bio class?” Eren asked. 

“Your lab partner,” Armin answered. 

“Yah. Well, he really likes Mikasa and apparently he knits,” Eren explained. 

Armin laughed and nodded. “I see! You aren’t the only one Mikasa has wrapped around her finger.” 

“Damn straight! Do you know how much my fellow students love Kasa? In German, the girls take turns holding her,” Eren replied. “She’s the class mascot and sweetheart in one.” 

“Man you are going to be in trouble when she gets older,” Armin chuckled and shook his head. 

At the words, Eren halted and frowned. “Man. I hadn’t thought about her getting older. I’ve just been trying to keep up with all the baby crap. Oh shit. What am I going to do when she gets older?” 

His friend smiled gently. “You’ll figure it out. You’ve already managed to keep her alive half a year.” 

“Only because she’s the best little baby girl in the whole wide world!” Eren cooed, pulling Mikasa close to his face and giving her plenty of kisses on her fat cheeks. Mikasa smiled and laughed and let her Daddy repeat the actions again and again. 

“Ready to go?” Armin asked, knowing that Eren could spend a lot of time sitting around and making faces at his girl. 

“Let’s go watch some soccer!” Eren declared excitedly, bouncing out of his seat. 

At the stadium, Armin and Eren met up with their friends, all of whom had grabbed tickets next to each other in the student section. They all greeted each other enthusiastically and chattered excitedly about the upcoming game. The group was a mix of people Eren met in his classes and the friends he had through Armin. Most of them were Armin’s friends that had become his own, as he wasn’t always the best at forming friendships. Even though he hadn’t hung out with his friends much outside of class since the semester started, Eren slipped right into the natural rhythm of it all. It was as if he’d always been there. 

As Eren sat on the bleachers in anticipation, he realized he’d missed this. The buzz of the crowd resonated with him, lighting up a fire within him. The smell of the people, the field, and the food. The energy of hundreds gathered as one and cheering for the same team. Then, there was that moment. The moment right before the match started, when all the energy hung in a frozen moment, before it was all released at once as the play began. 

Seeing a game of soccer, a live match, made Eren so excited he practically bounced in his seat. He wanted more than anything to join the players on the field. It was like a magnet, pulling him towards the turf, urging him to play again. 

But instead he watched and cheered along with the crowd around him. As Mikasa sat in his lap (or stood on his legs, as was her preference in recent days) Eren excitedly explained what was happening to her. 

“See that player, the one with the ball? He’s a forward,” Eren said, pointing. “Look at that pass! Did you see that Mikasa?” Of course, Mikasa was more distracted by the group of people around her, all new and making lots of noise. She watched with interest, her eyes wide and unblinking. “Come on Kasa, you’re missing the game!” Eren chided. 

Next to him Armin snorted. “I don’t think she understands you.” 

Eren gave him a pointed look. “Babies are far more absorbent than people give them credit for,” he replied curtly. “Plus Mikasa is a particularly smart baby, isn’t that right?” And then Mikasa smiled, because she always did when her Daddy spoke in that tone of voice and rubbed his nose against her cheek. 

“If this is your way of trying to force her to liking soccer,” Armin began. 

“Shut up and let me enjoy the game,” Eren replied, only half as annoyed as he sounded. 

A few minutes later, he remembered that he was supposed to also be meeting with Levi and Prof Smith. He’d gotten so caught up in the game that he’d forgotten to text his location to Levi- they’d exchanged phone numbers weeks ago for ease of communicating study session times. The plan was that the three of them would congregate at some point during the match. Eren was hoping to introduce them Armin at least. Maybe they could all watch a good portion of the game together, even if their seating wasn’t near each other; with bleachers and the student section, such things could be flexible. 

“Here, take Mikasa,” Eren said handing over the baby.

Armin took her easily, as he spent a good deal of time with her. She was almost as comfortable with him as she was with her Daddy. Eren was always grateful that she had someone else giving her love and attention when he didn’t have the time to offer it himself. 

With his hands free, Eren texted Levi and let him know what was going on. With a few minutes of texting and laughing at Levi’s blatant annoyance, everything was settled. Levi and Prof Smith were going to meet him at his section, because he had a better view of the field. 

“I’m going to meet them at the portal,” Eren explained to Armin as he stood up. “Keep an eye on Mikasa for me?” 

And that was how Eren lost track of his baby. 

He was gone for 10 minutes, 15 minutes tops. Down at the portal entrance he’d stood and waited for Levi and his professor. It should have been easy to spot them, what with Prof Smith being so tall and the lack of many people milling around. After waiting around and feeling annoyed that he was missing the match, Eren checked his phone and realized he was waiting at the wrong portal. 

That was when he decided that his professor and Levi were grown men that could probably find him on a set of bleachers just fine and marched back to his spot so he didn’t miss any more of the match. But when he went back to his seat, Armin wasn’t there and neither was Mikasa. 

“Hey, where did Armin go?” Eren asked Marco, who was sitting the next seat over from him. 

“I believe he said he needed to go to the restroom,” Marco replied. “He handed the baby off to Connie and Sasha I believe.” 

So Eren checked up a row to where Connie and Sasha were sitting. But there wasn’t a baby in either of their laps. 

“Hey! Sash, do you have my kid?” Eren had to yell to be heard. He was trying not to panic. Everything was probably just fine. 

But then he saw the look Connie and Sasha shared and he felt his chest turn to ice. 

“We went to get some snacks and we gave her to- oh shit, who was it?” Sasha explained. 

Eren didn’t need to hear anymore. He was already moving down the aisle, jostling legs as he went and scanning the crowd frantically. None of the people he knew had Mikasa, none of his friends, none of Armin’s. There were a few familiar faces in the stands, but nobody with a baby and nobody with his baby. Frantic and panicking, Eren pushed his way out of the row and to the stairs. He made a quick sweep of the whole section, racing up and down the steps. Nothing. He couldn’t see her. 

The possible scenarios flashed through Eren’s mind. What if she was put down? She was rolling over now; she could’ve fallen down the bleachers. Or she could’ve been dropped. She could’ve been taken, there were all sorts of weirdo and creeps out there who did horrible, terrible things to children. 

Eren’s heart was pounding in his ears. He had to find her. He couldn’t lose her. She was everything, she was all he had left and she was just a god damn baby. If anything happened to her, it was his fault. He was supposed to keep her safe. He had to find her, but his head was swimming and he couldn’t think straight. 

As he raced back down the stairs, he practically bowled Armin over. 

“Eren, slow down! What’s wrong?” Armin asked.

But before he could even get the sentence out, Eren was frantically talking over him. “I can’t find Mikasa! She’s lost. Nobody has her. Armin, I don’t know what to do. Tell me what to do,” he cried out in a rush. 

Armin’s eyes went wide with worry, but he put two steadying hands on his friend’s shoulders. “Eren, you need to stay calm. Who had her last?” 

And that’s when Eren saw them, down several feet at the other portal entrance, one tall man and his short scowling companion, holding a baby and looking through the crowd. Without saying a word he pushed Armin off him and rushed towards them. 

“Eren, there you are,” Erwin called when he spotted Eren approaching. “Is everything alright?” 

Eren stumbled and dropped to his knees in relief in front of them when he confirmed that Levi was holding Mikasa. Instantly, Erwin reached out and grabbed Eren’s upper arm in support, asking again, more urgently if he was alright. Out of breath and overcome with relief, Eren sagged and grasped at his chest. 

“Oh god,” he gasped out. “You have her. Oh thank god.” 

“We saw this weird couple taking her towards concessions so I nabbed her,” Levi answered, having surmised the situation. “They weren’t holding her properly.” 

And all Eren could do was laugh. 

 

With the whole missing baby fiasco over, Erwin and Levi had joined Eren and his friends on the bleachers. Graciously, Levi had handed Mikasa over and Eren held her tightly and refused to let anyone else take her from him for a good half hour. But the intensity of the game soon distracted Eren from the incident and he was back to his normal self soon, shouting and cheering with everyone else. 

Levi wasn’t paying much attention to the game. Instead he watched Eren and observed how expressive his face was as the match progressed. It was darling that the father diligently kept his baby informed of the goings on of the game, though she was hardly paying attention. Eren however, was very absorbed in it. He’d introduced Levi and Erwin to a few of his friends before losing himself to the sport. In coming to the damn thing, Levi had hoped to get to spend time speaking with Eren. But watching was almost as good. 

“He certainly knows a lot about soccer,” Erwin observed. “He’s really into it.” 

“Oh, it’s because he misses playing,” Armin replied. He was sitting squished next to them. Upon seeing the surprised expressions on their faces, Armin continued. “Didn’t he tell you? Before he had Mikasa, he was working to become a professional player.” 

Then Armin had gone on to say something about Eren choosing to quit and go to school so he could have a more stable career and better provide for her. But Levi wasn’t paying close attention. He was too surprised by this new revelation. From what he had gathered, Mikasa had been a surprise. The details of how she had come to his custody Levi didn’t know, but he could guess they weren’t pleasant. 

Before it had been clear that Eren was making sacrifices for the sake of parenthood, but until know, Levi didn’t fully understand the depth of these sacrifices. How far in advance did Eren know his life was going to change so dramatically? How quickly did he have to drop everything to accommodate this little girl? 

Levi wasn’t sure. 

“That was quite noble of him,” Erwin remarked. 

Armin shrugged. “I don’t think Eren sees it that way.” 

Just then, Mikasa started to fuss and gave a welcome distraction from the heavy cloud that had settled over them. They all turned their attention to the uncomfortable child, happy to have something to focus on. Eren cooed and bounced her and adjusted the way he was holding her, but she continued to cry. After a few minutes, Eren stood up. 

“I think she’s just feeling overwhelmed. It’s been a big day for her,” he concluded. “I think we’re going to head home now.” 

Next to him, Erwin stood as well and Levi joined him. “We’ll walk you out then,” Erwin said, understanding that Levi wasn’t going to stay longer than he had to, not if Eren wasn’t there. 

Once they were out of the noisy stands, the quietness seemed thick around them. Levi couldn’t stop thinking about what Armin had said. Of course, of course the boy wouldn’t want to make a big deal out it. So Levi didn’t say anything. Erwin must have been thinking along the same lines as he didn’t say anything either. 

Eventually, it was Eren to break the silence. 

“Thanks again, for coming. And for grabbing Mikasa,” Eren said sincerely. 

“It was fun. Thanks for the invitation,” Erwin replied with a smile. 

“Just keep better track of your kid next time,” Levi added. 

Eren laughed. “Yes, I definitely will. But this was fun. I’d like to do more things like this. Getting to see you outside of school stuff.” 

Levi could feel his chest tighten at the way Eren said those words. So hesitant and hopeful. 

“I think Levi and I would love that as well,” Erwin answered. 

And the small smile that graced Eren’s face was enough to make Levi agree to anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week I'm super busy with work. So you can probably expect the other chapters to be coming out late at night as well. Hope you enjoy as much as the last one.


	3. Lonliness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys spend the break being introspective.

_Empty Inside_

 

Of course, it all had to end eventually. The end of the semester came, with final papers, presentations and exams. If it hadn’t been for Levi and what he taught him about time management and study habits, Eren didn’t think he’d ever have made it through the last two weeks without going insane. But, he did survive and did well. Each of his classes passed with a pretty decent grade as well. When Eren started university, he never expected his GPA to fare so well. 

He’d said as much to Prof Smith and Levi on the last day of class. 

“Really, I can’t even think of the right words to thank you,” Eren said, his voice a touch emotional. At the very least, he was determined not to cry. They weren’t dying. But there was no denying that things between them would be different. 

Levi looked as uncomfortable as Eren had ever seen him. His arms were folded across his chest and his face was set in a glare. 

“You don’t need to make a god damn speech,” he grumbled. 

“No, but this is important to me,” Eren said determinedly. 

“Let him say what he has to say Levi,” Erwin said gently. He was keeping his gaze intently on his student, his calm face betraying very little, other than interest in what Eren had to say. 

With a steadying breath, Eren continued, “Like, it’s not just the help you gave me with studying, which is really great. But, you’ve helped me and Mikasa in so many ways, that you’ll never even know.” He struggled to find the words that expressed the feelings he was experiencing. There was that warmth in his chest and small cold dread of everything ending that stuck in his stomach. 

“It’s alright,” Erwin spoke, seeing the way he was struggling. “I think we understand what you’re trying to say.” 

“We’re going to miss you,” Eren admitted. “So we’ll try and find other ways to see you both, okay?” 

“It’s been a pleasure having you in class,” Erwin replied. 

The handshake exchanged between them hardly felt sufficient, but Eren had to settle for it. 

After the soccer match, things between them had changed. With the inevitable end of the semester, Eren could feel Levi distancing himself. The closeness waned as both students were far busier than usual. Maybe it could’ve made the last day easier. But Eren only felt regret that he was the only one who seemed to want this friendship, relationship, whatever it was, to continue on. Even grow closer and stronger. Maybe, Eren was wrong. Perhaps the whole comradery was a product of circumstance. Since the circumstances were changing, there was no reason for the comradery to stay. 

Once back from the winter break, Eren was determined to work at it again. He wasn’t going to let things end in the awkward drift that it had. 

He gave Mikasa a gentle squeeze. “Don’t worry. You’ll get to play with your buddies more, I promise.” 

 

Not being a religious person and not having any family worth visiting, the winter break was an uneventful affair for Levi. A breather in between semesters for him to relax before the last, final push. There were no big family parties of Christmas dinners for him. Frankly, he didn’t really want them in the first place. 

The only eventful thing that happened, other than Levi having the chance to binge on all the shows he missed- which weren’t’ many, as generally network TV sucked- was his birthday. As was the case with every year, Isabel and Farlan would no doubt make an appearance bringing cake and presents. 

In high school, Levi had looked after the two of them and in return they gave Levi friendship. It hadn’t been a typical relationship between teenagers, but none of them had been typical. At the very core of it all, Levi cared about them and they cared about Levi. That’s all that really mattered. The two of them were really the only friends that Levi could claim, except perhaps Erwin and Eren, but that wasn’t really the case anymore. 

Levi had a sort of realization after the match. It might have been the suddenness of the semester end, or watching the way Eren so clearly admired Erwin, but Levi had a moment of clarity. After the semester was over, their friendship or whatever would change drastically. Eren might pursue Erwin’s company more than his own. That, for now, though Eren might be grateful to him and value his presence, Levi was only a way for Eren to get to know Erwin better. 

So he began to slowly distance himself. With finals, it made it easy to gradually see less of Eren or have less meaningful contact with him. In Levi’s mind, it made the end come easier. It would be less painful this way, when the winter semester started and Erwin’s presence wasn’t a constant anymore.

Levi didn’t even want to start thinking about his impending graduation. Then Erwin wouldn’t be a constant in his life either. 

It didn’t occur to Levi at all that he might be wrong about the whole thing. He knew how these things went. He was a sort of person that was put up with and then tossed aside when no longer needed. People didn’t feel affection for him as he felt for them in return. Or if they did, they didn’t realize Levi felt it in return, because he was shitty at expressing soft feelings like affection and fondness. Romance and wooing were foreign and awkward to him. 

So really, there was no doubt in Levi’s mind that neither Eren nor Erwin would ever be more than the tenuous friends they were no. And he wasn’t sure which of the two prospects hurt more: Erwin feeling nothing for him, or Eren feeling nothing for him. It all just sucked and Levi hated all the messy feelings. 

Luckily, just as Levi knew would happen, Isabel and Farlan dropped by, unannounced and bright and cheerful. It was a ritual between them, one that Levi accepted and usually looked forward to. This was something his friends did as a way to stay close and in contact, as they lived adventurous lives that sent them wandering around the world.  
Before, their visit was always a bright spot in Levi’s year. 

But slowly and slowly, Levi started to notice things. Things that he noticed with his current relationship with Eren and Erwin. A distance had grown between the three. While Isabel and Farlan had once been the closest people in Levi’s life, the one he shared the deepest parts of himself with, that wasn’t so anymore. They’d all changed. As each of them had moved on with their lives and spent less time together, they changed. Levi almost couldn’t talk with them anymore. 

At the very least, Isabel and Farlan still cared enough to see Levi. Very few people were close enough to do that for him. 

Levi was terrified of the same thing happening with Eren and Erwin. So he would distance himself first. 

Erwin and Eren would probably be happier without him in the way. They could enjoy their company without having to be socially obligated to him as well. It would be easier for the two of them to grow closer without him there. 

They would be a cute couple, if unusual, Levi concluded. 

Unfortunately, all these thoughts bothered Levi while Isabel and Farlan were there. She picked up on the way he was lost in thought and almost brooding. Brooding wasn’t something Levi did. He almost always dealt with things directly. But feelings and complications and interpersonal relationships were things Levi didn’t know how to deal with. 

It was quite obviously on his face too. 

“Levi, what’s bugging you?” Isabel asked, as they were all sitting around the living room, watching Christmas specials and drinking hot chocolate. 

Farlan even paused the TV and looked at Levi with concerned and expectant expressions. Levi stared back, unsure of what to say. They both knew he was a quiet person. But they also knew he was acting unusual. For a moment, he considered sharing his thoughts and feelings and perhaps getting some advice. 

But being that open with Isabel and Farlan didn’t feel comfortable anymore. Not like it used to be, when they had been his emotional rock. 

So he brushed it off with a shrug. 

“Just constipation,” he offered. 

And they rolled their eyes and continued to watch. 

 

Erwin had nobody to visit and nobody to visit him. That was how it always was and Erwin was pretty sure that the situation would never change. At least, not in the foreseeable future. He’d designed his life to be that way. There was a conscious decision to keep himself unattached. The consequences of which meant that he was alone during the holiday breaks. It also meant that he was able to focus entirely on his goals, without feeling guilty of neglecting someone who needed him. In his mind, though it may have appeared to be a selfish decision was actually a selfless one. He could do more for academia to benefit everyone- even in ways that weren’t widely recognized. 

So the occasional loneliness that struck wasn’t supposed to be regretful. It was worth it. 

This wasn’t to say that Erwin had absolutely no friends. There was Mike, who was his closest friend since childhood. But he understood what Erwin was like and wasn’t hurt if he didn’t get treated like close friends were supposed to. Mike didn’t need a lot in the first place and was never going to slow Erwin down in his pursuit of his goals. 

But that also meant that Mike wasn’t always there. 

Erwin was also friendly with people he spent a lot of time around, worked with and that could help him with get he wanted. There was no deeper connection though. Erwin didn’t let many people that close to him and he rarely opened up to others around him. 

When Erwin had first met Levi, it had started out that way. The young, brilliant student was a person Erwin could shape and use to improve academia and the world. Erwin could see that Levi didn’t get close to others either. They were similar in some ways and Erwin was excited to mold and influence him. He could see the way Levi seemed to admire him and he knew he was attractive. As long as Levi never acted on any attraction he felt, Erwin had decided, it wouldn’t matter. And Erwin was confident that Levi wasn’t the kind of person to let him be distracted by such things. 

The thing that surprised Erwin was how he felt the urge to be close to Levi. He wanted to open up to him. There was something about the boy that was incredibly endearing. Of course, Erwin would never make a first move. Because of course, it was not just a distraction but also an abuse of power. 

So then ignoring their collective interest was no problem. It was just a thing that was necessary. As long as Erwin didn’t spend too much time thinking about it and mulling over his feelings, then they would slowly go away with time. Or so he had figured. 

And then, Eren came along. 

Instantly, Erwin could see something special in him. As there was more time spent getting to know him, Erwin could feel himself growing fonder of the young man. But that wasn’t all. At the same time, Erwin felt himself enjoying Levi’s company as well. With Eren, Levi was subtly softening and opening up little bits at a time.

More and more the two of them became a more integral part of his life.

They all got along so well. Erwin had rarely felt so easy around others. And easiness often led to closeness that Erwin tended to avoid. For perhaps once in his life, Erwin regretted that he wouldn’t ever allow himself to grow any closer to Eren and Levi. He would never have them, or anyone. But that was of his own design and choice. 

Beside which, Erwin could see the way Eren adored his TA. One thing Erwin liked about Eren was the openness of his face and the ease of which his emotions showed. Anyone could see the way Eren wanted to please Levi. The open admiration on his face, the soft smiles and general cheery attitude around Levi- despite his more rougher exterior- all indicated to Erwin that Eren had feelings for him. 

And Erwin also strongly suspected that those feelings were returned. Levi didn’t let himself openly show his feelings often. But there was a subtle gentleness that Eren was privy to: the way he didn’t berate Eren as much, the way he put up with Eren’s disorganization, and most of all, the way Levi was so fond of Mikasa. 

So there was no reason for Erwin to sit around feeling sorry and regretting that nothing would come of either friendship- and Erwin wasn’t sure which he regretted more. Both were probably better off with each other anyway. Erwin could see the relationship slowly developing between them. 

But even as Erwin sat in his apartment taking the time to catch up on some reading, he couldn’t stop from thinking about his two remarkable students. And the small twinging feelings of regret remained. 

 

Because of the recent tragedy in Eren’s life, Christmas was a somber affair. As Armin was his closest friend since always, Eren went with him to his grandfather’s. It was the first holiday without his parents and adopted sister. But it was also the first Christmas for his daughter. 

The whole thing was oddly bitter sweet. On the one hand, Eren was, for the first time since that phone call- the phone call that shattered his world with the knowledge of the crash that had killed his family and given Mikasa to him- really faced with the reality that he was alone. That there was no denying that he wasn’t at his parents’ home, celebrating the end of the year and that he’d never be able to do that again. And, without the rust of work and school, there was nothing else to occupy his mind and distract himself from the crushing feelings of depression. 

But this starkly contrasted with the warm feelings of happiness Eren felt, sitting on the floor of Armin’s grandfather’s living room with Mikasa on his lap. With her little body clad in Christmas themed footie pajamas, Mikasa looked darling. As always, her eyes carefully watched everything that was going on around her. She normally wasn’t a super expressive baby, though she would always smile at her favorite people- namely Eren, Armin, and Levi. But on this day, perhaps felt the excitement, she smiled and laughed and watched everything with wide, comical eyes. 

Eren couldn’t help but swell with fondness as his daughter discovered new things, scooting and rolling between himself and Armin, as they opened presents. No matter how much they cooed and tried to explain the presents she received (and she got lots of cute little gifts from everyone who knew her), Mikasa was far more interested in playing with the tree and wrapping paper. Armin and he laughed at the way she was baffled by boxes and paper and ribbons. 

The whole thing was tiring and overwhelming for the child and Mikasa fell asleep in the middle of the floor. Mid scoot, she stopped and rested her head on the floor and passed out. Armin left to put Mikasa down for a nap in the make shift crib they set up for her. Eren was left behind, sitting among the wreckage of Christmas morning. With the final distraction gone and Eren was finally, truly alone. 

And suddenly, he couldn’t stop crying. The overwhelming feeling of emptiness crushed down on him. Of course, he had Armin and Mikasa, but his family, the three other most important people in his life weren’t there. He was nearly on his own, trying to make his way. It was unfair.

He’d never fully come to terms with what had happened. There had been a rush to the hospital, where it was too late for his parents and sister. But baby Mikasa had survived.

Suddenly he was thrown into parenthood and all he needed to do to take care of a newborn baby. He was applying for school and making arrangements and hardly had a chance to truly mourn. 

Of course he loved his daughter, he truly did. But the way she came to him left Eren barely able to pull himself back together to take care of his child. 

But that’s when Levi and Professor Smith came into the picture. On the surface, they helped him with the newness of university. But having two people who looked after him in whatever small way that they did, meant everything to Eren. 

To add to all those deeper feelings of depression, Eren couldn’t help but mourn the loss of being in Prof Smith’s class. They had been best part of the last few months. They had been the support he’d received when relying on Armin wasn’t enough. 

He’d known this time would come, that he wouldn’t be attending their class. But it didn’t truly hit him until this moment, under the tree that it could really be over.  
Suddenly, he was hit with the realization that he definitely had feelings for both of them. More than just friendship, but a deeper fondness. Not love exactly, but something that could easily grow into it. Perhaps he had never felt this way before. But now he wanted to love and he loved by two people, however unusual that may be. 

And that opportunity could have passed. It could be gone forever. 

He’d never felt all alone like this. 

Of course, Armin returned in a few minutes and seemed to instantly understand. He sat beside Eren and put his arm around his friend. 

“I know, Eren. I miss them too,” he murmured comfortingly. 

Eren had never told him the full situation with Erwin and Levi. And of course, Eren had only realized the full implications just a moment ago. But Armin of course was fully aware of his family situation. They were as close to Armin as Eren was. 

The two sat on the floor and mourned together, until Armin’s grandpa brought them some tea. 

But as Armin and grandfather waxed on about old memories of his family, Eren was making a promise to himself. He’d already lost people dear to him. So he wasn’t going to let an opportunity for other people to be dear to him as well. 

Eren wasn’t quite sure what he wanted from Levi and Prof Smith. But he wasn’t going to let them slip away. He wasn’t going to let himself feel this lonely again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while. haha whoops. Eruriren week is officially over, but is it ever truly gone from our hearts? That's what I'm telling myself as I'm posting the third prompt a week late. 
> 
> But the last two weeks have been the busiest ever and I haven't had as much time as I'd like to write. Also, I wasn't feeling as confident about this chapter which made it hard to work on it. 
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy it! I've been surprised by all the positive feedback. Didn't know it'd be this popular.


	4. Persistence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren, though he may not be great at flirting, sure is persistent.

_Heart in a Blender_

A new semester and a new set of classes to teach. Erwin looked forward to it, as he was teaching more advanced classes over the winter and thus had more engaged and interested students. There was also the added benefit of having Levi on as a TA again- meaning he knew he could rely on him, even if he was busy trying to finish up his Master’s degree. 

The only downside to the new semester was having no bright-eyed, determined, and young single parent in any of his classes. Erwin could tell that Levi felt the same. 

“This semester’s bunch seems more dull than usual,” Levi remarked at the end of the first class. “Lord knows these students are boring enough as it is.” 

“A harsh criticism, especially of economic students,” Erwin replied. “You’re aware, of course, that you’re a student of the same subject?” 

Levi rolled his eyes and snorted. “Yes, but we both know I have a personality. Shitty though it may be.” 

There was no helping Erwin’s amused smile. “Levi, you shouldn’t say things like that about my students,” he reprimanded lightly. “I think you’re just missing a certain student and his little baby girl.” 

If it were possible for Levi to look flustered, then it would be that look on his face then. Erwin could even swear he was blushing. Surprisingly, he didn’t make a retort. 

“I need to get to class,” was all he said in return and walked away quickly. 

That was all the response Erwin needed to know that yes, Levi was missing Eren. That lack of a response spoke volumes in terms of Levi’s particular brand on communication. After knowing him for nearly two years and getting to know him on such an intimate level, Erwin knew how to read his silent expressions. The young man wasn’t good with expressing himself verbally and didn’t speak very much. However his mannerisms and way he carried himself said everything. And Erwin happened to be very good at reading people. 

Though if Erwin was honest, he was also disappointed that he wouldn’t’ have Eren in any of his classes. He was a pleasant and refreshing face. And yes, Erwin was still feeling a bit melancholy from Christmas. He felt that though Levi was likely to see Eren again, Erwin was sure that his company wouldn’t be sought out. 

That was alright though. Erwin had determined to live free of distractions after all. 

It was just as he was thinking this that Erwin reached his office and stopped short. Someone was sitting against his door, slumped in sleep with a wiggling baby strapped to his chest. Eren. 

Suddenly, Erwin felt himself smile and all previous thoughts of no distractions were thrown out of his mind. He was undeniably soft for him. 

“Eren,” he said gently, though his words didn’t wake him up. 

Mikasa, who was looking bigger than when Erwin had last seen her nearly a month and a half ago, turned her head at his voice and smiled in recognition. Though Erwin didn’t think he was as fond of children as Levi apparently was, he was still pleased that she was happy to see him. The little girl squirmed in her harness and lifted her hand to smack Eren’s face. Evidently, this was something that Mikasa had learned was effective, as Eren jerked awake with a small sputter. 

“Yah, yah, ‘Kasa,” Eren mumbled. “I’m awake,” he grumbled as Mikasa continued to grab at his lips and cheeks. She seemed to find amusement in Eren’s consternation. “Oh, you think you’re so funny, huh?” 

“Clearly she does,” Erwin commented, interrupting the father-daughter moment, despite how adorable he thought it was. 

And that was all it took for Eren to blush and sputter out his name. Just as Erwin hoped he would when he realized he was present. 

“It’s nice to see you Eren,” he greeted with a smile. “What can I help you with?” 

“Hello Professor Smith,” Eren replied as he struggled to get to his feet, with the baby carrier, his backpack and diaper bag all acting as counter weights going in different directions. 

“Please call me Erwin. You’re not my student anymore,” Erwin cut in. 

“Okay Erwin,” Eren replied with a bright smile. “And I just wanted to drop by and say hi. Is that alright? If you’re busy, I can leave.” 

“I’m not busy at all,” Erwin answered, pulling out his keys to unlock his door. Obligingly, Eren stepped out of the way. “It’s the first week of the semester. Not many papers to grade yet.” He opened the door and waved Eren in. “Though Levi won’t be around here today,” he added. 

To his surprise, Eren shrugged. “That’s fine. I wanted to see you. I mean, I also want to see Levi, but you’re important to me too,” he explained, then blushed as he realized what he said and hastily added, “Mikasa likes you too after all.” 

Erwin raised his eyes in amusement as he settled down at his desk. The two extra chairs that stayed in his office all the previous semester were still there and Eren dumped his things onto what had been unofficially designated as ‘Levi’s chair’ before settling into his own.

To fill the silence, Mikasa started to complain and wiggle around. She was still stuck in her harness and ready to be freed. 

“I know, I know,” Eren replied working to release her. “I’m letting you out.” 

“She’s getting so big,” Erwin remarked, knowing that was something to say to young parents. 

“I know!” Eren replied proudly, “It’s almost becoming a problem though. She’s more mobile now,” he explained, setting her on the floor. 

Erwin made a quick scan to ensure that the room was relatively baby friendly before replying. “She can get into trouble now.” 

With a laugh, Eren nodded. “Yes, she loves to find things to put in her mouth. But also, she’s getting more frustrated being carried around all day,” Eren explained. “She wants to do things and I don’t think I’ll be able to take her with me to class much longer.” 

There was a distinct look of concern on Eren’s face. Erwin assumed he was worried about what to do with Mikasa from now on. Child care was expensive after all and based on how hard Eren had fought to bring her to class in the first place, he probably couldn’t afford it. 

“Tell me about your holiday break,” Erwin said, hoping to redirect the conversation. 

It worked pretty well, as Eren explained all the fun gifts Mikasa had received for Christmas and all the cute things she had gotten herself into. Erwin could tell there were some parts of his holiday that Eren left out- distinctly not mentioning any other family. Though he was curious, Erwin didn’t push for details. 

Of course, Eren then asked Erwin about his own vacation, which there really wasn’t much to say about. 

“It was relaxing and quiet, just the way I prefer it,” he answered, suspecting that Eren would be appalled to know he spent it completely alone. 

“That sounds nice. I don’t think I’ve had a quiet moment since ‘Kasa here came along,” Eren joked. 

There was a comfortable lull in the conversation then, while they both watched Mikasa play with a soft colorful toy from her diaper bag. Eren was biting his lip, looking like he was debating something, like there was something he wanted to say. So Erwin sat quietly, giving him the chance to speak, but he didn’t say anything. 

“Oh shoot! I need to get going if I want to get to class on time,” Eren said suddenly. 

“Better do that then,” Erwin agreed. “Thanks for stopping by. It was nice to see you both.” 

“Same,” Eren responded, gathering Mikasa’s toys back into the diaper bag. When he grabbed her and started to fit her back into the harness, she made a whine. “I know honey, but Daddy only has so many arms and I can’t carry you right now.” 

When all his things were gathered, he stood at the door and bit his lip again. 

“Can I come back to chat?” he asked. “Like, on a regular basis?” 

Erwin smiled sincerely. “Of course. Here,” he said holding out a sticky note he’d prepared while Eren was getting his stuff together. “These are my office hours. And I added Levi’s on the bottom as well.” 

Gratefully Eren took it. “Thanks! I’ll see you around then!” he said with a wave. 

“Goodbye Eren,” Erwin replied. 

He was going to have to rethink a few of the assumptions he’d made about Eren’s feelings about him. 

 

Between running to classes and working his way back into the routine of school (which was kinda kicking his ass if he was being honest), Eren didn’t have time to seek Levi out until Friday of the first week of the semester. He’d been eager to see Levi, especially after his visit with Erwin. It hadn’t gone exactly the way he’d expected and he hadn’t made the bold move he’d planned on making. But in the end, perhaps taking baby steps was better in this more, delicate situation. Or so Eren convinced himself. 

All he had to do was stay close with them, both of them. Then make subtle suggestions that he wanted more. There was no rush, no need to scare them away with coming on too strong. Eren was going to have to work on that, as he knew he was a pretty straight forward person, and definitely not known for being subtle. 

Again, he was struck with the realization of how… unique the situation was. He wanted to, well date, both his former TA and professor who he suspected already had a thing. But Eren’s life was already pretty far from normal. So wouldn’t it be fitting for his romantic life to be as well. 

Besides… he’d heard of relationships that had more than two people. It wasn’t impossible. 

Anyway, for his plan to work, he’d need to see both Levi and Erwin on a regular basis. So he’d need to find Levi, which was proving to be a little difficult. Not only just working with his own schedule at the restaurant, but every time Eren showed up to the shared TA office, Levi wasn’t there. 

It wasn’t until Friday that Eren had the realization that he was an idiot and should have been looking in their special study spot. Sure enough, when he reached that section of the 3rd floor, he found the exact person he was looking for. 

“Levi!” he called out delightedly, startling him from his absorbed studying.

“Shit,” Levi replied, running his hand through his hair. “Don’t shout like that in a study area, asshole.” 

“Sorry,” Eren replied with a bright smile. “I’m just happy to see you. I’ve been stopping by your office all week,” he explained, moving to take a seat across from him. 

“Well, I’ve been here. Duh,” Levi replied. Eren should have known this by now. 

“Yah, I figured that out. Eventually,” Eren responded. There were reasons why Armin always called him ‘a little slow’. It was his polite way of saying-

“You’re such a dumbass sometimes,” Levi replied. 

-that.

But Levi spoke without malice, he had a smirk on his face, the one that Eren knew meant that Levi didn’t mean what he’d said. 

Eren just shrugged. “Why do you think I’m in school?” he joked and Levi snorted. 

As Eren spoke he pulled off his backpack and put his diaper bag on another seat. Then he pulled Mikasa out of the harness and turned her around. Immediately, Mikasa gasped and smiled brightly and made a happy stream of babble, while reaching for Levi. 

“Someone’s happy to see you!” Eren declared cheerily. 

“Hey there little stinker,” Levi said, looking a little too pleased with himself. Wordlessly, he held his arms out, to take Mikasa. “So what are you here for? Already need help in doing your homework?” he asked once the baby was settled in his lap and happily grabbing at his hands. 

“I just wanted to see you,” Eren replied. “If that’s okay.” 

Levi’s lips pressed into a doubtful line. “If you want to see Smith, you can go without me,” he stated. 

Eren’s brows furrowed in confusion. Where did that come from? 

“No, I know that. I’ve already seen him. That’s where I got your hours from,” Eren explained slowly. “Can’t I want to visit you too? Is that allowed?” 

He didn’t understand the quick look of surprise on Levi’s face. Did he really think Eren didn’t like him? That was surprising, because Eren knew he’d been obvious about his admiration of him in the last semester. Maybe Levi was the slow one. 

“Don’t be a brat,” Levi huffed, turning his attention to Mikasa, who was doing her best to grab his lips.

“How have you been?” Eren asked, ignoring the brat comment. 

“Busy already,” Levi grumbled. 

“That sucks,” Eren replied sympathetically. “’Kasa and I understand that. Don’t we baby girl?” At the sound of her name, she turned and flashed a smile at her Daddy. 

“Oh yah?” Levi responded. “And what has my favorite little snot been up too?” 

“I think she’s teething,” Eren answered. “She’s been a bit grouchy lately, and keeps chewing on everything.” As if to demonstrate, Mikasa set about trying to know at the button on Levi’s cuff. 

Levi gave her a small look of disapproval, but didn’t stop her. 

“She’s also being impatient about coming to class with me,” Eren continued. “She wants to play and explore.” 

“Good,” Levi said with approval. “Atta girl.” 

Much like with Erwin, Eren continued to detail all the things his baby had done since he’d seen Levi last. Surprisingly, Levi listened with honest interest and didn’t mock Eren at all for being a stereotypical proud parent. In fact, Levi seemed genuinely excited as well. It made Eren’s heart swell to know that Levi was so fond of his baby. 

“Well, you’ve told me all about Mikasa. What about you?” Levi asked after Eren had exhausted himself of stories. 

There was no hiding the pleased look on Eren’s face and the small blush on his cheeks. His affection grew knowing that Levi was interested in him too. Being away from him for so long had made Eren appreciate him even more. 

“Oh, well. I haven’t really been doing much,” Eren admitted. “’Kasa’s been taken up most of my time. Not that I mind, right girlie?” 

Mikasa made a sound that almost seemed in agreement and Eren laughed. 

“My smart girl,” he praised. 

Levi was looking at him thoughtfully. “You’re a good father,” he commented. 

Eren made a sort of sputtering noise. “Oh, I don’t-“

“I’m serious,” Levi said sincerely. “I know you feel like you’re barely able to do it all. But given your situation, you’re doing an excellent job.” 

The blush returned to Eren’s face with a renewed force. He glanced away awkwardly, feeling overwhelmed. That wasn’t something he expected from Levi. But he also knew his words were sincere, as Levi never said things he didn’t mean. 

“Um, thank you,” Eren replied at last. 

Levi’s attention was now solely on Mikasa looking a little uncomfortable. He rarely spoke like that saying such personal meaningful words. But he didn’t regret saying them, he just wasn’t sure how to proceed from there. So the two sat in silence for several minutes. 

Eren realized that he’d been chatting with Levi for well over an hour. 

“Thanks for letting me sit and talk with you,” he said finally. Standing up to gather his things. “Can I… can I do this again?” he asked hesitantly. 

“I guess I can’t really stop you,” Levi replied. “Though I’ll be busier this semester.” As he spoke, he stood up as well and handing Mikasa back to Eren.

“Okay,” Eren replied. “I’ll see you around then?” 

“See you kid,” Levi replied. 

Eren wasn’t sure if he was speaking to him or Mikasa. But he was filled with feelings of butterflies and lightness none the less. Seeing the two of them again, Levi and Erwin, had made him feel lighter. The remaining feelings of despair from Christmas diminished. He was hopeful that he was going to be successful. 

And happy. The two of them made him happy. 

 

If it were possible, the next semester was busier than the first. The new classes were hard for Eren to adjust to. The things that Levi had taught him before were helpful, but it would also be nice if Eren had his own personal tutor again. He wasn’t going to ask Levi to help. He recalled that Levi said he was busy and Eren didn’t want to have that sort of student/ ta relationship with Levi. If he asked Levi to tutor him, he was afraid it would limit them. 

Instead, he slogged through his studying himself on asked Armin for help- he was pretty good at everything related to academics. Already though, Eren could tell his grades were probably not going to be as good as the first semester. 

Despite the business, Eren made a point to see Levi and Erwin at least once a week. In fact, he and Erwin almost had a set schedule. Eren usually came at the same time in the afternoon on Mondays, just as Erwin was sitting down for a coffee break. Now, Erwin always had another mug ready for Eren, with sugar and cream like her preferred. 

Chatting with Erwin was refreshing. Eren was able to bitch about classes and fellow students. Always, Erwin attentively and indulged himself about talking about colleagues and students. Eren loved it. When talking with Erwin, Eren didn’t feel like a student, or someone who was a good 10 years younger than his conversation partner. He appreciated that Erwin treated him like an equal. 

It was also nice for Eren to have a chance to get to know Erwin alone, without Levi around. Not that Eren didn’t also enjoy Levi’s company, but it was good to get to know him alone, one a more personal level. 

That would make things easier when Eren was ready to make a move and transition their relationship to something more. 

Levi was harder to see with the same frequency. Eren didn’t know what exactly was going on with him, as Levi always had time for him last semester. But Eren was ever persistent and found time for seeking him out none the less. When Eren did have a chance to spend time with Levi, he mostly talked about Mikasa and himself. 

Not that Eren was always talking about himself, but Eren was always asking about his life. Rarely did Levi ever talk about himself and whenever Eren did pester him, he was vague and redirected the conversation. 

Eren found that Levi was always holding back when they talked. Which was why he looked forward to the rare occasions when Levi happened to join him and Erwin. Around Erwin, Levi seemed to open up more and be more relaxed. But the person Levi was most relaxed around was Mikasa. 

As much as Eren would love for Levi to open up more to him, he was grateful at least that he was so kind to him and his girl. He always looked forward to the days when he found Levi studying in their spot and greeted him with that smirk of his. 

Several weeks into the semester and all was going well. A routine similar to the first semester developed between them and Eren was ready to make a move. The next step in his plan was to hint that he was looking to have a more intimate sort of relationship. Of course, it probably wouldn’t be a very subtle operation, as he was never good at being subtle. But hopefully he wouldn’t be so blunt as to shout out “I wanna kiss you and maybe hold your hand!” as he hand with his first crush in middle school. 

Granted, that tactic had worked on his fellow student, but he doubted it would be well received in this case. Not when the objects of his desire were so mature and adult. 

Or maybe they’d find it endearing? Eren hadn’t considered that.

“What do you think Mikasa?” he asked his girl as he was rocking her before bed. 

In reply, she made a sort of tired humming noise. 

“Yah, probably shouldn’t risk being too much of an overeager teenager,” Eren agreed. “Better go for more subtle in such a delicate situation.” 

 

Levi wasn’t quite sure what was going on with Eren. Or rather, what the kid wanted. It was nearly halfway through the winter semester and Eren was making no attempt to stop hanging around him, no matter how difficult he made it. Of course, Levi always loved his company, so he was never very cold when the student and his baby showed up. But he was busy enough that he could limit the time spent around Eren, and have an actual excuse to do it too. 

What really confused Levi, was that Eren was having plenty of time to hang around the professor. He was also not very good at hiding how much he liked him. In fact, Eren had gotten to the point of shamelessly flirting. But the flirting wasn’t just directed at Erwin. The flirting came at Levi as well, and he didn’t’ know what to do about it. 

If he didn’t know better, he’d think Eren was stringing him along. But Eren was too earnest for something like that. So Levi was left wondering exactly what Eren wanted.  
The only conclusion he could come too was that Eren like them both and couldn’t decide between the two. As much as Levi’s heart fluttered at the thought of Eren liking him- really liking him- and as much as he was fond of him and Erwin, Levi was still hesitant. 

He was set to graduate in the spring and then he would be off seeking jobs. His time at the university and the city in all likelihood was limited. So any relationships, whether with Eren or Eren and Erwin both, just wouldn’t last. 

He was full of doubts and he was certain that Eren hadn’t thought all these things through. Still though, he appreciated the advances and often had a hard time not returning the lingering touches and looks. Levi was no good with flirting, but it seemed that Eren wasn’t either, so it didn’t matter. And Levi wasn’t supposed to return the flirting anyway. 

“So, do you wanna get some coffee with Erwin and me sometime? Like, today?” Eren asked one afternoon when he was lucky enough to catch him. 

Levi couldn’t help but notice the way that Eren now called Erwin by his first name and was now asking them both out to things. Like the soccer game from the last semester, Eren probably wanted to see them in a context outside of school. 

“I’m busy,” Levi replied and tacked on a “Sorry.” 

Eren’s smile faltered a moment. “That’s okay, maybe next time,” he said hopefully. 

Just like him, to be so persistent. Levi couldn’t’ help but smile. “Sure thing.” 

The offers didn’t stop. About once a week, every time Eren saw Levi, he was asked out to coffee. And the more Levi said ‘no’ or ‘I’m busy’ the more dejected the kid looked. Finally, on perhaps the 4th time Eren started asking questions. 

“Would you go to coffee with just me?” he tried. 

“That’s doesn’t change the fact that I’m busy,” Levi replied with a sigh. He carefully was avoiding Eren’s eyes. 

“Oh,” Eren said. Then after a moment asked, “Is it me then? Would you rather just go out to coffee with Erwin?” 

This time Levi whipped his head up to see the dejected look on Eren’s face. Did the kid worry that he was getting between him and Erwin? 

“No! That’s not it at all!” Levi cried, almost scandalized that Eren would suggest that. “I like you fine Eren, you know that.” 

“Then why won’t you get coffee with us?” Eren demanded, raising his voice. 

“I said, I’m busy,” Levi replied with annoyance. 

“So am I and so is Erwin, but we can spare 30 minutes for a chat with friends!” Eren shouted. He sounded hurt. Levi looked away from him, unsure of what to say. “I just… I want to be close to you. You and Erwin. But if I’ve just been bothering you for no reason… then I’m sorry. I just thought you wanted that too.” 

The quiet way he uttered these words cut Levi, making him feel quietly. He hadn’t meant to toy with Eren, to string him along. But maybe in his fear and uncertainty, he’d done just that. 

As he watched Eren’s retreating back, as he walked away hunched shoulders, Levi realized he’d been a bit of a jerk. Someone like Eren didn’t deserve that. So even if he wasn’t certain and even if nothing more than friendship was going to come of it- Levi was going to five this thing a try. 

 

Just had been routine for the past month or so, Eren came to Erwin’s office in the afternoon, so they could walk to the campus coffee shop. It was a nice change from the simple chats in his office. It had a more personal feel to it. Often, they discussed more personal topics while out having coffee. Erwin could feel himself leaving his more professional façade behind him when with Eren. 

That should have been something that concerned him, but Erwin found that he didn’t mind. 

That also should have concerned him. Rarely, if ever, did Erwin not mind about anything. 

But being around Eren was… well, it was fun. Probably the only truly fun thing in his life. Eren was vibrant and passionate and straight forward. Not much else in Erwin’s life was quite that easy and refreshing. 

Perhaps the best part was the playful flirting. Since the beginning of the semester, Erwin came to realize that Eren was not just interested in Levi, but him as well. Erwin wasn’t quite sure what Eren was expecting to come from his interest and flirting, but he certainly was going to enjoy it while he could. 

It was no secret to Erwin that he was an attractive man. He’d certainly been hit on often enough throughout the years. Even by students of his. But Eren was the first person he returned the flirting with. There was just something about the way he did it, so awkward and obvious, that it was endearing. Of course it helped that Erwin had had on interest in the boy before the advances started. 

However, Erwin didn’t expect anything to come of the flirting. So, though he genuinely liked Eren, it would all just be playful for now. 

It was just as Erwin was contemplating these things when Eren burst into his office. It didn’t take someone gifted in reading people to see that Eren was upset. His bushy brows were knit together, his shoulders were tense and his usual bright smile which greeted Erwin was replaced with a frown. The kid didn’t even greet Erwin at all, before forcefully dropping his bags on the floor and slumping heaving into his seat. 

“What’s wrong Eren?” Erwin asked, forcing himself to not find Eren’s upset-ness to be adorable. 

“Nothing,” he replied moodily, ignoring the way Mikasa was squirming in his lap. 

With a pointed look, Erwin responded, “You and I both know how terrible you are at lying.” 

Eren cracked a small self-depreciating smile and glanced at Erwin. “I’m that obvious, huh?” 

“A sign saying ‘I’m upset’ stapled to your forehead would be more subtle,” Erwin remarked, pleased when his teasing made Eren laugh. 

“I guess I don’t really hide my feelings well,” Eren responded, scratching the back of his neck. “Or so I’ve been told.” 

Erwin smiled in agreement. “So what’s bothering you?” 

While busying himself with getting Mikasa out of her harness before she started screaming, Eren sighed heavily. 

“It’s… it’s probably not a big deal and I’m over reacting,” he stated. 

“Well, that’s not true,” Erwin countered. “Whatever your reaction is, it’s still your reaction. Don’t invalidate your feelings.” 

A pleasant blush came over his face and Eren distracted himself with Mikasa. “Well, okay,” he replied. 

“So, what’s bothering you?” Erwin asked again. 

Letting out a long breath, Eren looked back up to Erwin’s face. “Well, I asked Levi if he wanted to get coffee with us again and he said no. And I just,” he made a frustrated noise. “I know he likes spending time with us, with me. So I don’t know why he keeps refusing.” 

Erwin pursed his lips and nodded in understanding. “I see,” he murmured. 

“And I just. I want to spend time with both of you. I want to know if Levi doesn’t… If he doesn’t…” Eren trailed off, leaving the last part of the sentence unsaid. He scrubbed his hands over his eyes and sighed. Then let his hands drag over his neck and rest on his shoulders. “I think I’m tired and more easily irritated today. You know?” 

A hum of agreement came from Erwin. 

“And my neck and back have been killing me,” Eren added as an afterthought. 

“All the things you have to carry around must be taking their toll,” Erwin remarked. “No wonder you’re so bothered. I bet Mikasa is keeping you up at night. And she’s getting heavier as she grows,” he observed. 

Eren leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “Yah, that sounds about right,” he muttered. “I should probably apologize to Levi. I shouted at him a little.” 

“Perhaps he deserved it,” Erwin replied. “He is quite stubborn after all. Sometimes it takes a little urging to break through to him.” Eren nodded vaguely at his words. “Regardless, I think right now you could use something to take you mind off things and relax.” 

“That’s what coffee with friends is for,” Eren replied with a small smile. 

“True, but that’s not quite what I had in mind,” Erwin replied. “After all, that’s part of what’s been bothering you.” 

That peaked Eren’s interest. “Oh?” he responded leaning forward in his seat. Mikasa wiggled impatiently at this and set her on the ground. 

“I think you could use a nice shoulder massage,” Erwin stated, lifting up his own hands. 

Admittedly, as well as being a help to Eren, this was also a chance for Erwin to flirt shamelessly. Also an opportunity to touch him. Eren did have the most delightful looking shoulders that made his waist look slim and tempting. For a moment, Eren simply looked surprised and stared at Erwin with wide eyes. Then he seemed to catch onto Erwin’s blatant advance on him and smiled. It was an absolutely wicked smile. 

“That sounds like exactly what I need,” he agreed. “Please, work your magic.” 

Gladly, Erwin got out of his seat and moved towards Eren. As he stepped behind him, he could see the way Eren’s shoulders tensed in anticipation. His shoulders were warm and firm to Erwin’s touch. His hands dug into the muscle, making smoothing circular motions, putting enough pressure to loosen Eren up. Immediately, Eren sagged, relaxed and calm, even letting out an appreciative hum which quickly turned into a small moan. 

That pleased Erwin greatly. 

He continued for a few minutes more, until he’d definitely passed the level of appropriateness between teacher and student. Though Eren wasn’t his current pupil and he wasn’t as young as most incoming freshman, Erwin was always aware during their moment of flirting. Currently, it was harmless between them and Erwin wanted to be sure it stayed that way. 

“Thanks I needed that, “ Eren said, rolling his shoulders, his voice sounding less strained. “You, uh. Have nice hands. For that.” 

“Anytime,” Erwin replied warmly. 

Erwin returned to his seat and they regarded each other for several moments. There didn’t feel like there was a need to speak. Eren rolled his neck slowly and stretched out his arms, trying to spread the relaxed feeling. When he stopped, Eren watched Erwin carefully, looking like he had something to say. His brows furrowed slightly and he bit his lip.  
The silence was ended with the sound of a phone buzzing. 

“Sorry, that’s me,” Eren said, working to pull the phone from his pocket. “Just a text.” 

“That’s fine,” Erwin replied patiently. 

Eren opened his mouth to reply, eyes reading the lines of text on his phone, but he said nothing. His mouth hung open and his eyes widened. 

“Is everything alright?” Erwin asked, wondering what sort of text could evoke that reaction from him. 

“It’s Levi,” Eren replied softly, a smile slowly spreading across his face. He held up the phone in Erwin’s direction, so he could read it. 

  _‘Sorry I’ve been an ass. I can’t do coffee today. Do you want to meet up with Erwin tomorrow?’_

“Well, it seems your shouting did some good,” Erwin remarked. 

Eren was beaming. “Yah,” he agreed. “So do you wanna meet up tomorrow? With Levi?” 

“I’d love that,” Erwin replied. 

He was pleased to see Eren’s spirits lifted. Surprisingly he was also looking forward to spending time with Eren and Levi together. He himself got to see Levi regularly, as the student was his TA. Of course, he also was able to see Eren regularly too. But seeing them together was different. It was better. Not just because Erwin liked to see Eren enjoying himself. Erwin couldn’t quite explain. 

“Awesome. Then it’s a date!” Eren declared, and began texting frantically. 

When Eren left after all the details had been settled, Erwin could’ve sworn that he heard the parent whisper excitedly to his daughter. 

“Hear that baby girl? We’ve got a date!” 

 

Eren was almost beside himself waiting to meet up with Erwin and Levi. In fact, he was at the café a whole 30 minutes early. He was both unbelievably excited and totally nervous. This was the moment he was going to move forward with his plan. He was going to present the idea of a sort of romantic relationship between the three of them.  
He had no idea how the other two would take it. 

But it was worth a shot. The whole first half of the semester was leading him up to this.

The next person to arrive was Erwin, being 10 minutes early. 

When Eren eagerly waved him over to the table he was at, he smiled and remarked that he “hadn’t expected anyone else to arrive as early as him.” 

Lastly, Levi arrived 5 minutes before the time they scheduled. At the appearance of the two sitting at the table and beaming at him, Levi snorted. 

“Figures you two dorks would be early,” he remarked, not unkindly as he plopped down into the seat opposite of Eren. 

With a laugh, Eren replied, “That’s why you like us!” and Erwin smiled at the two of them and the way Levi huffed at the statement. 

That was when Mikasa turned her head around to see what all the fuss was about and squawked happily at the sight of Levi. He offered her a smile and a wave in return. It was time for her feeding and nap though, so she didn’t stay awake for long, though she tried. 

As expected, Erwin insisted on paying for the coffee, which neither Levi nor Eren disputed. As college students, they never rejected an offer for free things. Erwin was even so kind as to get a few pastries to go with, which Eren gratefully accepted as he’d been so nervous earlier in the day that he’d hardly eaten. 

“So, what exactly do you guys do on these little playdates?” Levi asked, once their beverages arrived. 

Eren shrugged unhelpfully and looked to Erwin. 

“We just chat and enjoy each other’s company,” he answered. 

“And now it’ll be more fun with you here!” Eren declared. 

Levi rose his brows at the statement. “Didn’t know I was fun. You two must be pretty dull then.” 

“Of course you are,” Eren protested. When Levi’s disbelieving expression didn’t change, Eren looked concerned and continued with fervor. “I think you’re really fun. You say funny things all the time!” 

“Your blunt mannerisms and sarcasm is entertaining,” Erwin supplied, after a quick look from Eren. “It’s refreshing, to be honest.” 

The praise must have made Levi feel embarrassed and he quickly looked away with a “If you say so.” 

Eren smiled smugly, knowing that their words got to him. “Yep. We do say so.” 

They continued to talk for much longer than the 30 minutes that Eren promised Levi. But Levi didn’t seem to mind at all and made no moves to end the conversation. Eren hardly noticed the way time passed, until he checked his phone and saw they’d sat at that table for close to an hour, their drinks cold and drained. There was something that felt so comfortable and natural being with the two of them. Eren wanted to experience that feeling much more often. 

“I really do have to get to class soon,” Levi stated, pulling Eren away from his calm and pleasant thoughts. 

And he remembered he hadn’t even confessed yet. 

“Wait!” he almost shouted, startling the two of them and jerking Mikasa from her nap. He was pretty sure it surprised the other customers in the café as well. “I mean, there’s something I wanted to talk to you two about,” he tried again, softer this time and a little embarrassed for his outburst. 

Erwin and Levi watched him expectantly and he gently bounced Mikasa back to sleep and tried to organize his thoughts. 

“I um. I was wondering,” he began and then shook his head. “You may have noticed that I um, like you guys. Like, as more than friends and mentors. And I think you like me back. Or well, you at least flirt back…” Eren trailed off a moment and tried to decide how to say the next bit. He avoided looking at either of them, not wanting to see their reactions and lose his nerve. “So I think, well, I wanted to know if you’d both uh, consider being in a relationship. Romantically. With me. And, I guess each other, if you feel that way.” 

There he’d gotten it all out. 

Anxiously, he looked between the two of them. He wished he was better at reading expressions though, because their faces told him very little. 

“Well, I can’t say that your feelings are a surprise,” Erwin began, being the first to speak. “I didn’t expect, well whatever you call what you’re suggesting.” 

“Polyamory,” Levi cut in. “He’s suggesting a polyamorous relationship between the three of us.” 

Eren didn’t know how Levi knew that, but his heart felt too tight and anxious for him to ponder it further. 

“So, uh. What do you think?” Eren asked, prodding them when neither spoke further. “I was thinking we could have like a test run? Like, going out on a date together and see how it goes. If you’re not sure.” 

Erwin looked thoughtful as he spoke, “I’m not sure how something like that would work. But I’m willing to give it a try. I’m fond enough of the two of you.” 

Half of Eren felt ready to burst with relief and excitement. The other half was still anticipating Levi’s answer. He turned to look at him, biting his lip from nervousness. 

With both Eren and Erwin’s eyes on him, Levi shrugged. “Sure, I’m okay with that.” 

“Thank you,” Eren cried, face split into a huge grin. “I’m so happy guys. This means a lot to me. You both are so important.” 

Erwin smiled at his exuberance. “So, what do you have planned for this experimental date?” 

And so the three of them started making plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter (and every chapter so far really) surpassed my self made 4,000 word limit rule. *shrugs* 
> 
> Next time.... THE SCIENCE OF THREESOME SECKS


	5. Science

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys explore the science of poly dating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooow. Okay. It took me like 2 months to write this monster. It's like over 10,000 words long. BUT IT'S DONE NOW and I'm pretty happy with it.

Tied to the Bedpost 

 

Well, Levi couldn’t say he hadn’t seen this coming. But he was definitely looking forward to his date with Eren and Erwin. With all things considered, he decided to just go for it. Eren was worth taking a risk with. Still, he was surprised that Erwin agreed to this experiment date. Of course he suspected that Erwin was fond of Eren. But he didn’t expect him to be willing to do anything about his affections. 

Levi had an idea of what to expect from Eren- he was open and easy to read. He was honest and straight forward with what he wanted. But Levi had no idea what to expect from Erwin. While Levi had become accustomed to the way Erwin kept himself guarded and he acted less like a mask around him, he had been unreadable in his intentions for the date. 

Or maybe Levi was just nervous. 

While out for coffee and making plans, the three of them had decided to have their experiment on the next Saturday night. Eren had suggested something casual, a local sports bar with good burgers and wings. 

“This doesn’t have to be a big deal, you know,” Eren had explained. “I just like to be around you guys. Nothing really has to change, except…” 

Then Eren had cut himself off and blushed. 

Levi could guess what the boy had meant. To be honest, he wasn’t opposed to any… physical affection. 

God knew how many times he was tempted to kiss Eren’s stupid, expressive mouth. Damn attractive pain in the ass. And Erwin was no better; he was a tease, had control over the people around him and knew it. 

So now Levi was sitting on the bed in his apartment and trying to decide what to wear. It was stupid, he knew it was. But he was fretting over impressing his dates, which was a low he never thought he would reach. He pressed his hands to his face and flopped back on the bed. 

Maybe this whole poly dating thing was a bad idea. Look at what it was doing to him. 

But then he thought about the disappointed look on Eren’s face if he backed out. 

Fucking hell. 

In the end, Levi dressed in his favorite pair of skinny jeans (the ones that made his ass and legs look fantastic), a v-neck tee, and his favorite cardigan. Looking in the mirror, he decided that he did look attractive, but not like he was trying hard to get laid. 

Not that getting laid would be a problem… but Levi didn’t want to come on too strong. Besides, little ‘Kasa would probably be there, so he needed to stay somewhat decent. 

And then he proceeded to be embarrassed all over again for putting so much thought into his outfit. He was gay, sure, but he usually wasn’t that gay. 

The other two probably wouldn’t be putting so much effort into their outfits. 

As soon as Levi walked into the bar and was waved over enthusiastically by Eren, his previous suspicions were confirmed. Erwin and Eren had put almost no effort into what they were wearing. Both looked like they had just come from campus; Erwin in a button up shirt and slacks (though the sleeves were rolled up to reveal some delicious hairy forearms and the first few buttons were undone to reveal more of his neck and collarbones) and Eren was wearing his usual t shirt, jeans, and jacket combo (which he wore well, despite being such a casual outfit). 

Well hopefully they wouldn’t notice the effort Levi put into his clothes. Though, Erwin was likely to compliment it, whereas Eren wouldn’t even notice. 

“Levi! You’re here!” Eren said excitedly. He’d stood up from his stool to greet him, arms pulled away from his sides, like he was debating whether or not to hug him. 

Normally, Levi would just let Eren agonize over the decision himself, but he wanted this to go well. Perhaps more than Eren wanted it. So he saved the boy and opened his arms wide for him. Never had Levi been hugged so tight… but he didn’t mind it, even if he was particular about who could touch him. 

“I’m really happy you came,” Eren said as he released him. 

Levi shrugged off the comment, though it made him want to blush. “Yah. Why wouldn’t I come?” he replied. 

“Well, you hadn’t arrived quite as early as we had,” Erwin answered. He didn’t get up from his seat, but pulled Levi into a one armed hug regardless.

“Hey, I’m on time,” he replied gruffly and allowed himself to lean into Erwin’s firm body. Boy, did it make him feel small. He wouldn’t mind being pressed against that body more often. 

And that was the cue for his brain to stop that train of thought. Experiment date, experiment date, he repeated to himself. Don’t fuck this up penis. Now is not the time. 

“Just because I’m not early like you anal nerds,” Levi added awkwardly, mostly to himself as he pulled away from Erwin. 

But his comment was heard evidently, as both of his dates started laughing. God, didn’t Eren have the brightest damn smile. He couldn’t stare too long or he’d really start falling for him. 

“You still like us,” Eren replied, hopping back up on his stool. He patted the one to his left for Levi to take. 

“Clever seating arrangement,” Levi remarked as he tried to get on the tall stool without looking like too much of a midget. “Sandwiched between me and Erwin.” 

At the comment, Eren blushed and ducked his head. “I didn’t mean-“ he countered. 

“Sure. Sure you didn’t plan to sit squished between the two guys you have the hots for,” Levi replied dryly. 

Eren turned his head sharply and looked ready to defend himself, but Levi bet him to it again. 

“Can’t say I blame you. I’d do the same.” 

“Stop teasing him Levi,” Erwin cut in, with an agreeing ‘yah!’ from Eren. “It only makes your nervousness more obvious.” 

Now it was Levi’s turn to blush and glare while Eren laughed and Erwin smirked. 

“Yah, yah, you’re so smart and witty Erwin,” Levi replied sarcastically. 

“But that’s what we like about him,” Eren said with a smile. 

That’s when Levi noticed that there was a distinct lack of a little baby on anyone’s lap. 

“Hey, where’s Mikasa?” Levi asked. 

“Oh, I decided to leave her with Armin for the evening,” Eren answered. “I needed the evening off. So I can give you two all my attention.” He turned to look at both of them as he spoke. 

“Oh,” Levi replied. He was surprised that he felt slightly disappointed that he wouldn’t be saying hi to her. 

A small smile spread across Eren’s face. “I didn’t know you wanted to see her,” he remarked. “I’ll give her a cuddle from you when I get home.” 

Levi turned his head away and grunted. “Okay.” 

“You don’t need to act embarrassed,” Erwin remarked, his voice sounding amused but also fond. 

Levi slapped his hands on the bar counter. “Alright, let’s stop ganging up on me and do this date thing. However the hell that goes.” 

Both Eren and Erwin laughed and Levi was a little less embarrassed. Because he was quite found of Eren’s laugh. Even if he was feeling awkward and had no real idea of how to date or be romantic. Particularly with relationships involving more than two people. 

“Sorry Levi, we didn’t mean to pick on you,” Erwin said, almost patronizing. 

“I didn’t mean it like-“ Levi began but stopped when he saw the way Erwin smiled. “Oh please.” 

“Erwin, I didn’t know you were such a tease,” Eren said. 

“Only when I’m in a playful mood,” Erwin responded. 

“Bullshit,” Levi cut in. “You’ve always had a bit of a sadistic power trip streak in you.” He was quite pleased with the slightly surprised look on Erwin’s face. 

Eren was howling with laughter. “Oh god, if I knew you two would be like this, I would’ve asked you out sooner!” he declared. 

That made Levi even more pleased with himself. Apparently Eren like his awkward, fumbling side just as much as his bitingly sarcastic side. Maybe Levi didn’t have to worry too hard about trying to impress his dates. After all, Eren was all about being genuine- he’d said he liked the way Levi told things like they were- and Erwin knew him well already. He could probably see through anything Levi faked anyway. 

Levi was never good at being anything but himself. So that’s what they were gonna get. 

 

Erwin hadn’t felt so unguarded in quite a long time. He didn’t think he did so intentionally either. Around Eren and Levi, sitting in some tacky bar, his walls just melted away. It wasn’t a problem either. 

He found himself enjoying the banter between them. Sure it was awkward and a little embarrassing at times. Certainly he didn’t have full control over the conversation. But again, it wasn’t a problem. 

Willingly surrendering those parts of himself that Erwin usually kept carefully hidden was easy if it was to Eren and Levi. 

Perhaps he had fallen harder than he’d originally thought. 

But… that wasn’t a problem either. 

Because based on the way Levi blushed and fought smiles and the way Eren couldn’t stop smiling, they had fallen too. 

While initially, Erwin had been dubious about the date- about the whole idea of a relationship with more than two people- he was starting to feel as though this could work. The research that he’d done on his own on the topic of polyamory had also helped. 

The one thing on his mind now was simply, what was next. As the conversation continued, Erwin began to map out the possibilities. The date was going well, so surely there would be another. Would it be alright for Erwin to kiss them goodnight? Eren was a tactile person and probably wouldn’t be opposed to it. Levi was another question all together, though he did allow Eren and him to give their hugs. 

And how did goodnight kisses between three people work? Ah well, perhaps they would have to practice. Something Erwin wasn’t against. 

Doing something… more than goodnight kisses wouldn’t be too bad either. But that could be pushing things a little. 

Erwin enjoyed the way Eren’s elbow bumped into his arm as they ate. After a while, Erwin stopped moving it out of the way and let their arms press together. He could feel the warmth radiating off of the boy. Erwin watched as Eren gestured with his hands as he spoke, always expressive and passionate. He hid nothing; the world could soak up his life and thoughts and feelings. But Eren didn’t care. 

Erwin watched as Levi leaned forward in his seat to watch Eren too. A few times, their gazes met and silently they seemed to agree. Eren was amazing. 

But so was Levi. He gave both of them his complete attention, his sympathy. His face would subtly change as he listened to Eren, mirroring his feelings. Because Levi did feel, a great deal more than was revealed in his face. To know that Levi was trusting Eren and Erwin enough to put himself in the vulnerable situation of a date- and Erwin recognized he was just as vulnerable at the moment- meant a lot. 

Erwin was grateful. To be in this situation was a privilege. And perhaps that was why he was more than okay with letting his guard down. 

He wanted to know, to have, every bit of the two of them. And in return, the two of them would have him. 

There was a lull in the conversation and Erwin took that moment as an opportunity. Already they’d discussed how their weeks had gone, things that had bothered them, things that had made them laugh. But perhaps now was the time to get more serious. 

“So Eren, what are your plans after college?” Erwin asked. It was a common question, but he was genuinely curious. He had been since he heard from Armin that Eren hadn’t originally planned on going to university. 

“God, now you sound like his dad,” Levi muttered. 

“Oh, ah, it’s okay,” Eren replied. “It’s actually nice to hear that question. Not many people ask about me, since well…” he trailed off. “I mean, I hardly think about myself. It’s always about Mikasa. Not that I’m unhappy taking care of her. I love her. But-“ he stopped suddenly and ducked his head. “Sorry, that wasn’t your question.” 

“No, don’t apologize,” Erwin replied, moving to put his hand over Eren’s. He was glad when Eren didn’t pull his hand away. 

“I guess it’s good that you have this day for yourself then,” Levi supplied. 

Eren nodded in response. 

“I feel bad though. Like I’m being selfish. Or a bad father,” Eren explained. “And like, I barely feel like I’m taking care of her now, dropping her off with people when I can’t carry her around. She doesn’t have enough play time with me. And on my night off, I’m being selfish.” His face was downcast and guilty, voice getting choked up. 

Erwin was surprised by this reaction. He felt that Eren was one of the most unselfish parents he’d ever met. It was clear in everything he did. Erwin was ready to try and convince him as much. But Levi beat him to it. 

“Listen really fucking carefully Eren,” he began, sounding sharp and angry. “You are a fantastic dad. You care so much about your kid and sacrificing so much for her. Half the time you run yourself ragged to look after her. So what you can’t do all the shit you think you should do. You’re still doing a fucking lot. So I don’t want to hear you spew that shit again. Okay?” 

As Levi finished, he took a long sip of his drink and Eren stared at him with surprise. Erwin couldn’t help but smile at Levi’s brashness, though perhaps it could be said in a gentler manner. 

“Eren,” he said softly, but firmly. “I think Levi means to say that you need to take care of yourself before you can properly take care of your daughter. So you’re not being selfish at all.” 

“Don’t speak for me,” Levi said. “And I meant it. You’re doing a great job. Not everyone is as lucky as Mikasa and has a parent who cares so much.” 

As they both spoke, Eren turned his head back and forth to each of them. His eyes turned glassy and wet and he even smiled. 

“I,” he began and tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. “I’m sorry, I’m just… really surprised.” He scrubbed at his eyes. “Sorry, I cry when I get overwhelmed,” he explained with a little laugh. 

The conversation had definitely become more delicate than Erwin had expected. Not that he was unhappy with that, but perhaps a sports bar wasn’t the appropriate location for this sort of conversation. Around them, the other members of the bar were looking at the three of them curiously. Erwin guessed that Eren would probably be embarrassed to cry any further in a public place. 

“Perhaps we should continue this conversation someplace more private?” Erwin suggested quietly. “If you’d prefer. We can go to my apartment? It’s fairly close by.” 

“Oh,” Eren checked his phone quickly. “Well, I didn’t know we’d be out this long.” 

Erwin didn’t like the way his stomach fell with disappointment. He didn’t let it show on his face though. But Levi’s lips tightened into a tight line. 

“I understand if you’re ready to go home. We don’t need to-“ Erwin began, but Eren quickly cut him off. 

“No, no! I’d love to spend more time with you. I don’t mind at all!” he explained quickly, lifting his hands from the counter and out of both of his dates’ grips. More calmly, he continued. “I meant, I didn’t know if you two had more time to spare.” His gaze focused on Levi for a moment as he said those words. 

“Hey, this is important to me too,” Levi replied defensively. Realizing how harsh and surprisingly emotional that sounded he added more quietly, “So I wouldn’t mind continuing this conversation elsewhere.” 

“That’s settled then,” Erwin replied.

Of all the ways their experimental date could’ve gone, he hadn’t expected inviting the two of them over to his house. But, there it was, happening. And Erwin found himself unbothered by the situation. He was even quite pleased with himself. 

 

As Eren sat in the passenger seat of Erwin’s car, he was trying really hard not to be too embarrassed. Here he was, going to his date’s house after getting emotional and teary over a pretty basic question. God that was too personal for a first date like this. It was supposed to be fun, to see if they could all get along in that setting, to see if they wanted to get more serious. Damn his propensity for being too emotional. Not to mention the water works. 

But Levi and Erwin didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, Eren was pretty sure wanted to know more and get more personal. And he wanted to tell them more too. 

Maybe it was because they’d already known each other fairly well, but this almost didn’t feel like a first date to Eren. 

“Why do I have to sit in the back?” Levi complained from his seat. 

They’d all decided it was most efficient to take one care over to Erwin’s and could worry about Eren’s later (as Levi had taken the bus). 

“Because you’re the shortest, so it’s only fair,” Erwin replied. “You don’t need as much leg room.” 

Eren heard Levi mutter something under his breath about being older and deserving respect as a TA. Eren had to suppress a giggle. 

“Um, I’m sorry for getting all emotional,” Eren began after a moment. “I didn’t even answer your question, I think.” 

Erwin gave him a quick glance, before turning his eyes back to the road. “No, it’s fine. I don’t mind. I’m sure Levi feels the same. I’d like to get to know you better. More personally.” 

From the backseat, Levi added. “Yah, same here.” His voice was quiet and a little unsure. “But you don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to. Maybe we can share some personal shit too.” 

The way Levi spoke, a little unsure, made Eren smile. 

“Yah. I uh, I think I would like that,” he replied, looking out the window with a small blush. 

This was good. Despite not going the way he’d hoped (with him being smooth and charming and sweeping Erwin and Levi off their feet) things were still going better than expected. From what Erwin and Levi had said, the way they showed personal interest in him- they way they always had- Eren knew they were serious. They seemed to be as serious about this relationship as Eren was. 

Eren could feel that this would be the beginning of more dates. 

They arrived at Erwin’s apartment quickly, as it was only a few minutes away. It was the reason why they’d decided to go there in the first place. Well, that and the fact he had the nicest apartment and he lived alone. 

The walk up to the room was quiet. Eren was well aware that an invitation up to the apartment often was an invitation for sex. Of course, he knew that this particular situation wasn’t a usual date, that Erwin had suggested going somewhere private so they could spare Eren the embarrassment of crying in public- because Erwin was observant and thoughtful. Eren couldn’t help but be pleased that Erwin was looking out for him in that way.

Anyway, engaging in sex right at this moment probably wasn’t the best idea. 

Still, that didn’t mean Eren didn’t feel a little excited by the thought. He liked to blame it on the fact that Erwin and Levi were very attractive men and not on the fact that Eren hadn’t gotten laid in nearly a year. Honestly though, it was probably a bit of both. 

Erwin’s apartment was nice and spacious, without feeling over opulent. The décor was simple- Eren recognized the touch of Scandinavian sensibility in some pieces form Ikea (Armin enjoyed filling their shared apartment with organizational pieces from the store and they were by far the nicest looking things in their entire apartment). The place also had the odd feeling of appearing lived in, but lacking many personal objects. 

For instance, the blue afghan thrown over the arm of the couch was folded hastily and a pair of slippers was resting on the floor. But the walls were bare of any personal photos, only black and white landscapes hung on them. The bookshelves were filled with scholarly books and academic knick knacks. The whole place was professional and classy, but wasn’t really homey. It gave no indication about the person that lived there, other than they were clearly a professor. 

Which Eren realized made a lot of sense based on what he knew of Erwin. But he did feel oddly out of place. 

As soon as they all entered, Levi removed his shoes immediately, arranging them neatly in the corner by the door. Eren followed suit, guessing it was the polite thing to do- because though Levi was rough in his manner of speaking, behavior, and personality, he always did things in the proper way. It furthered Eren’s belief that Levi didn’t really intend to be an asshole, he just didn’t know what else to be. 

“You don’t need to take off your shoes,” Erwin said as Eren was half out of his already. 

“Oh,” was all he managed to say before Levi cut in. 

“It’s cleaner that way.” 

So Eren proceeded to finish removing them. They were probably dirty, considering all the walking around he did. He also gave himself a mental reminder that if he ever went to Levi’s apartment, to take off his shoes as soon as he came in. 

“Please, come in and have a seat,” Erwin said, gesturing to the couch. “Can I get you anything to drink? I have some wine.” 

As he spoke, Eren settled himself down in the middle of the couch (so he could be sandwiched by his dates again. Yah, he wasn’t subtle, so what?). At the bar, they’d all had a beer and Eren didn’t really want to get even a little drunk during his date. Not to mention he didn’t drink much in the first place. He was about to decline when Levi nodded and Erwin was gone before he could give his input. Oh well. Wine after dinner was a classy, romantic thing to do right? So if Erwin brought him out a glass, he’d drink it. 

Even though he was really only a few years younger than Levi, he felt so much more immature at times. He hated to admit it, but Eren often felt a little insecure around the two of them, with the way he just blurted anything he was thinking and his tendency for rash decisions. At least he wasn’t as aggressive as he used to be as a teenager. 

So yah. Even if he didn’t like wine, he’d drink it for them. 

“Are you gonna sit down,” Eren asked Levi, who was still hovering awkwardly by the seating area. 

“I don’t know, are you gonna scoot over?” he quipped back. “You’re taking up the whole thing.” 

In reply, Eren just patted the space to his right. “We can all fit,” he countered. “I won’t get you dirty, I promise.” 

Levi grumbled and rolled his eyes, but sat down all the same. To be contrary, he sat on Eren’s left side, which made the boy laugh. 

That was when Erwin returned with three goblets and the whole wine bottle. One of his eyebrows raised at the sight of the two of them squished on one side of the couch, Levi with the frown that said he was trying not to smile and Eren laughing and leaning into him. 

“Come sit here,” Eren said cheerily, patting the space to his right. He didn’t want Erwin to feel left out. And he also wanted to feel those arms pressed against his shoulder. 

“I have more than one couch to sit on,” Erwin stated, but placed the glasses and bottle on the coffee table and sat where Eren indicated anyway. 

“Well I’m sure this on is the most comfortable,” Eren replied with a smile. 

“You two are incorrigible,” Levi stated. But he didn’t make any move to sit elsewhere. In fact, Eren was pretty sure he felt Levi lean into his side a little. “And as the ‘smallest’ of us, shouldn’t I be in the middle?” he asked. 

The two of them laughed as Erwin poured the wine and handed a glass to each of them, before setting back with his own. Eren followed their example and took a few sips. He didn’t know much about wine, but this one didn’t taste as bitter as others he’d tried. It was probably good stuff and knowing Erwin, he definitely served them the best he had. Erwin seemed to like high quality things- not necessarily fancy, but nice. 

“So maybe I should actually answer your question now,” Eren said. “Uh, I don’t even remember what it was.” 

Erwin smiled kindly at him. “I asked what you future plans were.” 

Ah yes. 

When Eren was younger at the time he was graduating high school actually, he had hated questions like that. Back then he’d only a vague idea of what he wanted to do and university wasn’t included in those plans. The disapproving looks and unwanted advice had been enough for Eren to never wish speak to adults about his future plans were. But, now, he didn’t mind at all. He was actually happy to talk about himself and his plans. This time around he also had more solid ideas about what he was doing with himself. 

“Well, I’m majoring in Accounting,” Eren began. “And since taking your class, I’ve actually thought of making a double major with Economics and Finance.” 

“I don’t know you had an interest in those things,” Erwin replied feeling internally pleased that his class had made the boy consider a double major. 

Eren ran his fingers through his hair. “Oh, well, I didn’t really care about all that stuff when I decided on my major. But it’s turned out to be more interesting than I expected.” 

“Why did you choose it in the first place then?” Levi asked. 

Eren turned towards him and shrugged. “Math was always one of my better subjects. And, well, it’s practical.” 

That’s response didn’t satisfy Levi at all. His brow furrowed and he frowned. Immediately Eren continued to explain himself. 

“Accountants are always needed. And I needed to choose something stable,” he said, a little defensively. “I mean the whole reason I came back to school was so that I could better take care of Mikasa.” 

Erwin placed a hand on Eren’s shoulder. “That’s very understandable and responsible of you.”

“But just because a career is practical, doesn’t mean you’ll always have a safe job,” Levi interjected. “The whole idea that some majors are more useful or lucrative than others is bullshit anyway. You should study what-”

But Eren cut him off. 

“That’s very easy to say when it’s just your own future at stake,” Eren replied roughly. Then he took a breath, calming himself. “I mean, I felt the same way too. Hell, before Mikasa, I wasn’t even going to go to college.” 

Levi’s expression softened. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I guess I wished things were more fair for you.” 

Those words struck Eren hard. Man, he wished the same too. But life had been very unfair to him recently. 

“Yah, I wish that too,” Eren muttered. 

“Armin- your roommate I believe,” Erwin began and Eren nodded in confirmation. “He said that you had an interest in soccer.” 

He hadn’t known that the two of them had even spoken to Armin. The only time they’d ever met was… well at that soccer game. That’s when it must have happened. 

“Oh, yah. I played soccer all through high school. It was a dream of mine to play professionally. But… I mean…” he trailed off. “It was a little farfetched in the first place. 

“You had to reconsider when Mikasa came along,” Erwin supplied. 

That seemed to be the theme of their evening. Even when Eren left her at home to have a night off, everything revolved around her. That was the price of parenthood, Eren was learning. It was worth it of course, he didn’t regret it. But sometimes he wondered if he would’ve chosen this for himself, had the situation not called for it. 

“If. If it’s alright for me to ask,” Levi began slowly. “How did… how did you get Mikasa?” 

The phrasing was awkward and Eren could tell he wasn’t trying to offend him or cross a line. Really, Eren wasn’t surprised by the question. It wasn’t that he was trying to hide the situation, but he hadn’t really told anyone who wasn’t close to his family. Those people had already known, without really needing to be told. Those people included Armin and Jean, who had been there to comfort Eren in his grief. They saw the whole thing for themselves. 

Eren had never told the story, said the words out loud. He felt he was ready to tell those two at least. 

Erwin must have sensed his hesitation, because he hastily said, “You don’t need to say anything you don’t feel comfortable with.” 

But Eren shook his head. He wouldn’t take that out offered to him. He needed to tell them. He wanted them to know. And he wanted them to give him the support, the emotional support he needed. 

“No, it’s okay,” Eren replied. “I wanna talk about it. I just haven’t ever talked about it. I don’t really know how to explain.” 

Wordlessly, Levi took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. The quiet gesture spoke volumes. Eren knew that was his way of saying he cared and was there to support him. Because Eren knew how awkward with words Levi was, unlike Erwin who was eloquent. Though they were different, Eren appreciated both.

He was poor with words too. Still, they spilled from his mouth anyway. And then he fumbled around with his actions as well. This story needed to be told right. And he would probably start crying partway through. 

Erwin and Levi waited patiently for him to speak. It was hard for him to look at both of them at the same time-a downside of being wedged between them. So he looked at his knees took a deep breath. 

“I’m sure you’ve guessed that Mikasa isn’t biologically mine,” Eren began. “Technically, she’s my niece. My adopted sister’s baby. Her name was also Mikasa. She was married to this rad woman, Annie.” Eren smiled thinking about them. They had been some of his closest friends. His throat became tight. The next words were hard to get out. “They were ready to start a family. My sister was pregnant- they used a sperm donor or something. I don’t remember the details. We- my parents and I- were so happy for them.” 

Tears were falling down his cheeks again, easily. It wasn’t fair. They had been good people, having the perfect life. 

He took another watery breath before he choked out the last part. 

“One night, they were in the car driving home from something- I don’t remember what- and it was slick. They were hit by a drunk driver, went off the road.”

He had to stop because he began to cry too hard, the sobs closing his throat. It felt as if he was back at the hospital again, having just heard the news for the first time. He swallowed thickly and felt an arm tight around his shoulders. It wasn’t clear which warmth belonged to whom. But with a gentle squeeze and pat, he was pulled back to the present.

“You don’t have to say anymore,” Erwin said, voice soft and sympathetic. “We understand.” 

Eren shook his head. “No, I want to finish.” He swallowed and continued again. “Mikasa- my sister- was 8 months along. She was hurt- they all were. My dad and Annie were dead before help arrived. My mom was unconscious and Mikasa… They were able to save the baby. But everyone else… All of my family.” 

He couldn’t say those last words. But he’d already said enough. 

“I’m so sorry Eren,” Erwin offered gently.

Eren nodded, eyes tightly closed and let himself succumb to the sobbing. Quickly, he was enveloped by warmth and touches and soft words. 

“It’s not fair,” Eren cried brokenly. “It’s not fair.” 

“We’re here for you now. It’s okay.” 

After a few minutes, Eren was sick of crying. He pulled his hands out of the tight grips Erwin and Levi had on them and scrubbed at his eyes. 

“God I’m a mess,” he mumbled. 

“It’s okay,” Erwin replied. 

“You’ve got a damn good reason to be,” Levi supplied. 

And Eren laughed. And the tension was gone. He took a long drink from his wine glass that had been abandoned on the table- he thought Erwin must have taken it from him while he was crying. He felt tired now- the kind of emotional exhaustion that came with bawling and Eren had done that twice now this evening. 

But he also felt a little lighter, a little freer. 

“Thank you for listening,” Eren said, voice steady now. “That means a lot to me.” 

“No, thank you,” Levi replied hurriedly. He handed Eren a tissue from a travel size pack and Eren almost laughed again.

“I don’t mean to speak for both of us,” Erwin began, “But I think it’s safe to say that you mean a lot to us.” 

Eren blushed and could feel himself welling up again. But not from sadness; from the overwhelming feeling of hope and happiness that he felt heaving those words. 

“Yah. You… you do mean a lot,” Levi added. “And so does your daughter.” 

His face broke out into a wet smile. “Thank you, thank you.” He repeated over and over. 

Then he was finishing off his glass of wine and Erwin was pouring him more. And Eren hadn’t felt so cared for in a very long time. 

And then he abandoned all the parts of his brain that kept his impulses in control. 

And then he was kissing them. 

 

Erwin watched as Eren, in a blubbery mass and partially empty wine glass in his hand, surged forward and kissed Levi. It was a firm but quick kiss and before he could react, Eren was turning to him and pressing his hot lips to his. It was unexpected, but not unwelcome. 

Then Eren pulled back as quickly as he had surged forward. 

“Sorry, I didn’t know if you were comfortable with-” Eren rattled off in a rush. “But I just- you two are so good to me and so important. And I just-”

But he was cut off before he could continue by Levi- who was no good with words and expressed himself far better with his actions- cupped Eren’s check with his hand and drew him to his lips again. The boy melted into the kiss, not being shy anymore and moving with intensity. 

Erwin moved before he could be too distracted by the sight before him (and it had the potential to be very distracting) and pulled the wine glasses from their grasps. Neither Levi or Eren seemed to notice (Eren hadn’t the first time he did either). With the potential mess pulled out of the way, Erwin could let himself enjoy the view. 

The way Eren’s fingers tangled in Levi’s hair and the way the angle exposed Levi’s pale neck. Erwin was caught between the two feelings of wanting to watch them kiss for the rest of the evening and wanting to join in. 

His lips tingled from the brief smooch Eren had given him and he longed to know what Levi’s would feel like against his own. 

He was fairly aware at this point that none of them were thinking clearly. 

Considering how much they had to drink, they certainly weren’t drunk. But tipsy, they were. Probably. Not to mention that Eren was in a very emotionally vulnerable position, having poured out his heart and sobbed in front of them. Erwin was glad it happened; he felt closer to Eren than ever before. But perhaps now wasn’t the best time to start making out on the couch. 

That line of thought was put to a quick halt when Eren pulled away from Levi, breathing deeply. He grasped Erwin’s arm. 

“Get over here,” he breathed and learned forward into him. 

Eren kissed just as Erwin would’ve guessed. His lips moved urgently against his, with fervor and passion. They felt needy and Erwin couldn’t help but give him what he needed. When Eren gasped a breath against his lips, Erwin put an arm around his waist and pulled him closer. 

But then Erwin’s brain started to catch up to him again. 

“Wait, are you sure-” he said, between Eren kissing him. “We should maybe take things a little slower?” 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do anything you didn’t want!” he immediately apologized. “If you’re not sure about this whole thing, we can stop.” 

Levi looked between them, also looking concerned and a little embarrassed. 

“Yah, we don’t- I mean-” Levi tried but Erwin shook his head and stopped both of their worried apologies. 

“No, that’s not. That’s not what I meant,” Erwin tried to explain. “I just. We should be sure about this, before we do anything more.” 

Normally he was more eloquent than this. He wasn’t saying what he wanted, but he was undoubtedly shaken by his fondness for them, and the undeniable need that he felt to keep kissing. 

“Oh,” Eren said and cleaned his throat. “Well, I… I know that I want this. Have wanted this, for a long time.” 

He bit his lip as he spoke. The confidence he’d shown before was gone and Erwin knew it was his fault. And then Erwin understood that when Eren was kissing them, he was seeking comfort.

And he wanted to comfort him in any way he could (and it was certainly a pleasurable option for him as well). Erwin realized that Levi had understood this initially- it was why he had kissed him because he realized Eren needed it and not just because he was a physical person. 

“Alright,” Erwin replied. He let his arm snake back around Eren. “Then I see no reason to stop if we’re all okay with this.” 

Eren broke out into a hesitant smile. “Okay. You okay with this, Levi?” he asked turning his head. 

“I thought I made that clear before,” Levi replied, scooting closer to give him a quick peck. 

“That’s good then,” Erwin answered and placed his hand on Eren’s chin to bring his lips back to him. 

 

Levi was pleased the talking was over and they were all kissing again. Well, Erwin and Eren were kissing. They really needed to figure a way to kiss as three. It wasn’t at all surprising that Erwin needed to talk things through a few to make sure they were all on board. Communication was an important part of any relationship. Particularly one with three participants. And Levi wanted this to work. 

Now all he needed was to figure a way to get into that kiss. Because though he did like watching the way Eren clung to Erwin’s chest and the way Erwin effortlessly controlled the kiss and matched Eren’s passion, Levi wanted a piece of that too. He already knew how it felt to kiss Eren and it was pretty great. 

Levi leaned forward, putting a hand at Eren’s side to make him aware of what he was doing, before shifting until he was half in his lap. With someone moving onto him, Eren broke off the kiss and watched. With an audience, Levi tried to slink the rest of the way to straddling Eren, trying to look as smooth as possible. 

“Alright?” he asked, letting his other hand join in gripping Eren’s waist. He could feel how closely Erwin was pressed to Eren’s side. 

“Yah!” Eren replied enthusiastically. “This is more than okay.” 

Levi was quite pleased when Eren began kissing him. It was even more pleasing when Erwin slipped a hand around him and began feeling muscles in his back. The thought of Erwin watching him kiss Eren was exciting and made his stomach jump. So he was going to put on a good show. 

He threw his arms around Eren’s neck and tangled his hands in his hair. With each movement of their lips, Levi rolled into the kiss. At the touch Eren gasped and Levi became bolder, rubbing their hips together in tempting circular movements. 

Besides them, Levi felt Erwin shift and then he was attacking Eren’s neck with his lips. Eren positively moaned into Levi’s mouth. He could feel the boy’s arousal growing, his erection making a bulge in his pants against Levi’s hips. 

This was all quickly leading to one direction and Levi was happy to hurry things along. 

With another roll of his hips, Eren had to break away from his lips, gasping. Levi took that opportunity to pull Erwin away from Eren’s throat and pressed their mouths together. It became teeth and tongue immediately. Levi released one of his hands from Eren’s neck and felt along Erwin’s firm chest. 

And Erwin fucking growled. 

Levi had wanted to kiss those full lips on that stoic mouth for so long. Lord knows he’d lusted after the mean since he first met him a few years ago. Of course, Levi had come to appreciate Erwin in other ways, but that never changed the fact that he was incredibly attractive. 

There was no doubt in Levi’s mind that Erwin had known this- the professor knew just about everything about those around him and used that knowledge to his advantage. But Levi also had suspected for a long time that Erwin found him attractive too. It was clear now that his suspicions had been accurate to some degree. 

He could feel the years of sexual tension between them melting and a passion (the same sort of passion that Eren brought out in them) building. 

“You guys are so damn sexy,” Eren gasped out appreciatively. 

To show his appreciation for the comment Levi reached down and palmed at the growing erection Eren was sporting. Levi broke of his kiss with Erwin to whisper in his ear. 

“Only for you,” he muttered. 

Beneath him, Eren shiver and breathed out a moan. No longer could he be preoccupied with the tragedies in his past or the struggles in his personal life. That was exactly what Levi wanted. He wanted Eren to forget everything and get lost in the pleasant and physical love. 

Levi had always been shitty at comforting. But he wanted to do this. He could offer this sort of distraction for those special enough to catch his attentions and affections. For someone like Eren. 

“How far do you wanna go?” Levi asked bluntly pulling his hands away for a moment. 

Eren blinked looking a little dazed- the exact reason Levi wanted to double check with him before getting on his knees. 

“Because I don’t know about Erwin but I’m ready for fucking blow you,” Levi explained. 

Eren’s eyes went wide, his face flushing further. “Yah,” he breathed. “You can do that.” 

With a smile, Levi replied. “Perfect. Because I’m sure this ol’ perv here would love to watch.” 

“Indeed, I would,” Erwin replied seriously and Levi almost shivered from the hunger in his tone and on his face. 

God, it was good neither of them were turned off by his own crassness. Past sexual partners had certainly let him know it wasn’t appreciated- some had found it insulting. But it wasn’t as though Levi meant it to be offensive. He just didn’t know how else to act in delicate situations like this. 

But Eren- and certainly Erwin- seemed to understand. Shit, the kid even seemed to like it. 

So with a smile, Levi slipped off Eren’s lap and sank to the floor on his knees. Immediately and without prompting, Eren spread his legs. Levi made himself comfortable. He ran his hands up Eren’s trembling thighs and watched as Erwin eased him into a kiss. That relaxed the boy’s whole body and Levi stroked his legs harder before going for the goal. When his hand ran over the bulge in Eren’s pants, Levi was sure he fucking choked. Levi couldn’t help but smile and let his hand wander up over the zipper, past the waistband to lift up that shirt a little. He was met with the sight of a tan, toned abdomen, just like he fantasized. Man, how did that kid stay fit in school, working part time and as a parent? Levi let himself play with Eren’s stomach, watching it quiver, before going back to his crotch. 

With less nimbleness than he would have like, Levi undid the button of Eren’s jeans and pulled down the zipper with tantalizing slowness. He could see Eren’s dick straining against his boxes the last remaining barrier. 

“Looks like someone’s excited,” Levi observed with amusement. 

“Well, you’ve been teasing the poor kid,” Erwin replied. “But it does make him flush so beautifully.” 

Eren whined and threw his head back against the couch, squirming and face red. So Levi decided he would stop dragging it out or the kid might cream his pants. He reached out his hand under the band of Eren’s underwear and pulled out his cock, hot and stiff. 

It was a very pretty cock. Though Levi tended to not be picky when it came to cocks. They were all pretty great. Levi wondered if he would have a chance to Erwin’s dick as well. Surely it would be magnificent. 

Levi gave Eren’s dick a few pumps and looked up to watch his face. He was biting his lip and panting while Erwin kissed at his neck and palmed at his chest. Eren looked overwhelmed and delicious. So Levi lowered his head and got to business. 

With little laps, Levi teased Eren’s head, before engulfing it with his mouth. He sucked eagerly, feeling Eren’s legs trembling around him. As Levi took more into his mouth, Eren began panting harder and whining. A hand came down on Levi’s head- he wasn’t sure who it belonged to- and tangled in his hair. It only encouraged him to begin bobbing up and down, tasting the bitterness of precome that was leaking freely from Eren’s dick. 

Levi loved the feeling of a hot cock in his mouth. He was quiet comfortable licking and sucking and lapping at one. He loved the rush of power he felt, having control over someone’s orgasm like that. And he was giving his best to Eren. 

Unsurprisingly, Eren didn’t last long. With Levi’s head bobbing up and down his dick and Erwin leaving burning kisses along his jaw, throat and collarbones, he was coming undone fast. Levi could feel how much his legs shook and muscles of his abdomen trembled. After a desperate keen and the arch of his back, Eren come. 

Levi hadn’t really wanted a mouthful of come, but without using condoms and without warming, he ended up with one. While Eren was in his post orgasmic haze, Levi excused himself to the kitchen, where he hastily spit out the remaining spunk in his mouth and rinsed with water. 

The arousal that may have diminished because of the sperm surprise was quickly back. When he walked back into the living room, Levi found Eren making out on the couch with Erwin. With a no doubt pervy smirk, Levi sat back down and enjoyed the view. Eren seemed to have plenty of stamina, judging by his half-mast dick. 

Levi allowed himself to palm at his own erection as he watched the way Eren tried to consume Erwin with his lips and hands while Erwin tamed and tempered him with his own. Indulging in his arousal, Levi let out a little moan. Oh shit, he was so hard. He hadn’t been this aroused over some kissing and a blow job since he was a teenager. 

His moan drew the attention of the other two and they both turned to him, red lipped at breathing heavily. 

“You hadn’t forgotten about me yet, I hope,” Levi stated, wanting to sound less desperate than he did. 

But Eren lunged forward and practically tackled him. Half in his lap, half sprawled on the couch, he began kissing Levi with fervor. Oh, he was an eager kisser. It lasted a moment before he pulled back. 

With a slightly dazed expression, Eren said, “That was the most amazing blow job I’ve ever- no seriously Levi.” 

Levi couldn’t help but smile at him. So eager, so forward, and so adorable. 

“Glad the kids these days appreciate a good cock sucking,” Levi replied with a smirk. 

“Oh please,” Eren rolled his eyes. “You’re only a few years older than me.” 

“A few years can make a big difference,” Erwin added and Levi gestured a hand in agreement, to say ‘see, even the professor agrees with me.’

Eren huffed in annoyance. “Are we really gonna do this now? My dick’s still out, c’mon.” 

And Levi fucking giggled. 

That’s how much these two dorks had a hold on him. 

“Anyway,” Eren began, ignoring the way the two were laughing at him. “I was wanting to return the favor. Get you two off.” 

That was a sure fine quick way to grab Levi’s attention. It had grabbed Erwin’s as well. Erwin leaned forward, letting a hand trail down Eren’s hip and butt- which were right in his line of view, making Levi a little jealous; though he did have a nice view of his cock, nestled between those legs. 

“What did you have in mind?” Erwin purred. 

The sound sent shivers down Levi’s spine. 

He was totally on board with whatever was next. 

 

Eren, like in many instances of his life, didn’t have an exact plan in mind, or a clear idea of what was next. He was going with his instincts and simply did what felt right. And maybe he was just a little tipsy and ridiculously aroused, but nothing felt more right in his life. 

Levi was staring at him with want and pleasure and affection, looking more expressive than he’d ever seen. It was for him, him and Erwin, and Eren loved it. Erwin’s hands were leaving hot trails down his backs and hips and ass. He didn’t want it to stop. He wanted the two of them to feel as good as he had. 

Initially he didn’t really have a plan when he said he wanted to return the favor. It was difficult sharing the blow job love with three people. But his current position gave him an idea. 

In a very unsexy untangling of limbs, Eren stood up and faced the other two. His pants were riding down his thighs so he pulled them off and stepped out of them, his lower half left bare. 

“I, uh. What I have in mind might take up more room,” Eren explained hesitantly, watching their faces to see if they were on board. “Could we take this elsewhere?” 

By the smirk on Levi’s face and the hunger in Erwin’s eyes, they were definitely okay with that suggestion. Eren’s whole body thrummed with anticipation. 

“I suppose I could show you to my room. If that will suit your needs,” Erwin replied smoothly, his voice low with arousal, but still steady. It amazed Eren how in control the man could be. Even now, making out with his TA and a former student. 

“That sounds perfect,” and Eren could swear his heart was pounding out of his chest. 

He held out one hand to each of them and pulled them out of their seats. They walked together fingers intertwined, like a chain as they all followed Erwin’s lead. Once there, Erwin and Levi looked to Eren for instruction. That they, who both held some sort of authority over him, would let him be in charge proved again to Eren that this was more than sex. 

With a smile he instructed Levi, “Get on the bed. Sit against the headboard.” As Levi positioned himself, Eren threw off his shirt, leaving him completely nude.  
Levi didn’t take his eyes off of him as crawled onto the bed after him. Slowly, so he could stop if he wanted to, Eren slipped the cardigan down from Levi’s shoulders and felt a soft kiss on his lips. Erwin, seeming to already know what Eren wanted, sat down behind him and caressed his neck, his collarbones. 

With a breath, Levi asked, “What are you gonna do to me Eren?” 

“I’m gonna let you watch as Erwin fucks me. And I’m gonna return the blow while it happens,” he replied trying to sound as sexy and smooth as possible. He was satisfied he did a well enough job at the awestruck look Levi gave him. It seemed Eren was capable of surprising him, which was quite pleasing. 

But Erwin, he was kissing at Eren’s neck and groping at his ass, already knowing what to do. Eren let himself be touched and caressed, preening himself for the other two’s pleasure. When he felt Erwin lean over and rustle through the side table- presumably for lube and condoms- Eren adjusted his position on his hands and knees, arching his back. His cock hung between his legs, practically fully hard again. Levi’s hot gaze was on him, drinking in his naked form as Erwin settled back behind him. 

Knowing that Levi was watching him, was going to get off watching him, made a fire light inside Eren. 

And then hands were spreading his cheeks and a cold wet finger played at his entrance. He keened and arched his back. Oh god. It was happening. As Erwin probed a finger into his ass, Eren stretched his arms forward and gripped at Levi’s thighs. Levi gasped and grabbed at Eren’s arms. It was the reminder and encouragement Eren needed to palm at Levi’s crotch. 

“God, Eren your so sexy,” Levi groaned as Eren unbuttoned his jeans. 

Eren’s hands shook as he tried to unzip the pants. It was hard with Erwin fingering him, stretching out his hole. He gasped as a finger brushed against his prostate and he rutted back into them. 

“Now, now Eren,” Erwin tsked. “Don’t forget about Levi.” 

With a keen, Eren nodded. He didn’t trust himself to speak- not now. The words ‘yes sir’ was hanging on the tip of his tongue, ready to spill out and potentially embarrass him. Thought at this very moment with fingers rubbing at the walls of his asshole, not much could really embarrass him. But Eren didn’t want to make things awkward later. 

He might have a thing for authority, but that didn’t mean Erwin and Levi did. 

Though Eren wasn’t even sure if his mouth could form words at this point. 

With Levi’s help Eren pulled his pants down, both of them too frantic to worry about getting it off all the way. The bulge of Levi’s cock in his boxers was, dare he say, cute. Not that Eren had seen a lot of dicks in his life, but Levi’s was probably the cutest. As Eren pulled it from its confines and watched it spring free, his opinion was confirmed. 

That was one cute little dick. 

Not to say it was small; Eren thought it was proportional to his size. But Levi was definitely adorably short and compact. Eren would never say it aloud, particularly as he ran his fingers up and down the man’s dick. 

As Eren worked his hands over him, Levi breathed out a shaky moan. His hands were fisted, white knuckled and resting on his thighs. 

“Good job Eren,” Erwin praised. “I think Levi’s enjoying it.” 

Eren shivered at the praise and wiggled his hips in response. He was rewarded with Erwin’s fingers massaging against his prostate. There were three of them in his ass now, thick and warm- no doubt like Erwin’s cock. With that thought Eren couldn’t wait any longer. He was going to blow his load before Erwin ever entered him and he certainly didn’t want that. 

“Please,” Eren whined. “Please, I’m ready.” 

“Well Levi, what do you think? Should I fuck him now? Do you think he’s ready?” 

Those words both aroused and frustrated him. He let out another whining noise and when Erwin curled a finger in him, he unconsciously squeezed Levi’s dick. 

“Jesus!” Levi gasped. “Erwin, stop teasing him!” Eren couldn’t sworn he heard Levi gasp about an ‘old man power tripping’. 

“I see you’re no fun,” Erwin commented. 

To be a little shit, Eren leaned down and took the head of Levi’s cock into his mouth, just as Levi was about to respond. He choked and swore and Eren smiled to himself as Erwin chuckled. He had some power of them too. 

“Alright,” Erwin relented a hint of amusement in his voice. “Since you were so kind as to offer your body to us, Eren.” 

Eren found himself nodding and eagerly brought his mouth down to Levi’s cock again. He did intend on returning the amazing blow job. At the sound of foil crinkling behind him and Erwin unzipping his pants, Eren lapped with more enthusiasm. 

At last, he felt something warm and slick at his entrance and Eren pulled his mouth off Levi’s dick so he didn’t bite it accidentally. He let out a noise high and whining- one he didn’t think he’d ever made before. The girth of Erwin’s cock stretched him out, better than his fingers had. Eren arched his back further and pushed his hips back into Erwin. His breath got caught in his throat and he choked.

For a moment all there was, all Eren could feel was Erwin gripping hard at his hips and slowly pushing into him. Then there were hands cupping his face. 

“You alright?” Levi asked softly. 

Eren opened his eyes and looked up to Levi’s face, who was watching him carefully. It was touching that Levi was ensuring his comfort at a time like this and Eren knew again he wanted to be fucked by these two. 

“I’m great,” Eren breathed out, nodding and rolling his hips. “I- aaah! I’m perfect.” 

Levi smiled at him and tangled his fingers in his hair. “You’re doing so good.” 

With another gasp, Eren grabbed at Levi’s thigh for support as Erwin started thrusting into him. 

“Now, now Eren,” Erwin purred. “Remember Levi. You’re doing so well.” 

So Eren nodded and ducked his head down to take Levi back in his mouth. The hands in his hair tightened and tugged as Levi groaned. 

“Oh god, Eren. You look amazing,” Levi gasped out. “I can see Erwin’s dick going in and out of your ass.” 

Eren moaned around him, feeling overwhelmed. With Levi pulling his hair and Erwin thrusting into his ass. Each thrust pushed forward taking Levi’s cock deeper into his mouth. Once again, his stomach was winding tighter, pleasure surging down his spine. He wanted more, but he couldn’t take more. It was overwhelming, but amazing and Eren knew that only a few minutes had passed. But it felt like the moment was everything. He wanted it to last forever. 

Above him, Erwin and Levi were speaking and Eren had no idea what was being said. His head couldn’t process the words. If his lips weren’t stuffed with Levi’s cock, he would no doubt be making nonsensical noises. Already, he was moaning around the dick in his mouth. 

And then a hand wrapped around his cock. And Eren lost it. He was pretty sure Levi’s member slipped from his mouth. It was only took a few strokes and he was coming. As his body tightened and clenched around Erwin’s cock, he felt it spasm and release inside him. Eren let out his last gasp and groan and felt something hot splash against his face. 

It took a moment, falling onto Levi’s lap in a boneless heap, before Eren came back to his senses. Awareness returned to Eren as fingers ran through his hair and a towel wiped away the come from his face and stomach. He hummed and smiled, reaching out to feel Erwin and Levi next to him. His hands were met and clasped by one small and one large one. 

“That was awesome,” Eren mumbled. 

“You were pretty awesome,” Levi replied, tone slightly mocking but Eren giggled and the bed shifted as he lay beside him. 

“You were perfect,” Erwin added sincerely, settling down on the other side. 

Eren felt as if he were beaming. He turned his face towards Erwin and nuzzled close, feeling tired and ready to fall asleep. 

“Does this mean we have a second date?” Eren asked sleepily. 

“What do you think?” Levi replied with snark, putting an arm around Eren’s waist. 

“I’d say there’s a good chance we’ll have another one,” Erwin answered. 

All Eren felt the energy to do was hum. He felt warm and happier than he felt in a long time. This wouldn’t be a bad thing to happen on a regular occurrence. Maybe without all the crying, but the sex that followed would be welcome. 

And Eren drifted off, listening to Erwin and Levi breathing softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time, the consequences of threesome sex on the first date.
> 
> Also! You can find me on tumblr at alliechick.tumblr.com. I've actually just added a donate button to the blog, if you have cash to throw at fanfic authors and would like to help support me. (man, it never is not awkward to ask for money on the internet)
> 
> Anyway, thanks for the support and patience! Hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	6. Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The consequences of impulsive threesome sex.

Folded up and Just Pretend

The last few months living with a baby had taught Eren to be a light sleeper, to wake up when Mikasa needed him. He’d also been trained to have his sleep broken up into chunks, though as Mikasa got older and slept longer through the night, he could usually expect to get 6 or 7 hours in a row. Which was why it felt odd for him to slowly come out of a deep restful sleep. Blearily, he blinked his eyes, trying to orient himself, before he realized he was being surrounded by comforting warmth. 

It was then that he registered the distant sound of his phone ringing and the previous evening came crashing back. He’d slept with Levi and Erwin. Holy shit, that’d happened! And then he’d fallen asleep and-

Fuck! 

Eren realized with a start that he’d spent the night at Erwin’s place. He’d only planned on being gone for the evening. That’s what he’d told Armin. And shit he was probably worried and furious and Mikasa didn’t go down for bedtime well with other people. 

As quietly as possible, while still being relatively quick, Eren scooted his way off the bed, trying not to wake Levi or Erwin. He tiptoed around the room, grabbing his discarded clothes and hastily throwing them on before awkwardly tip toe jogging out to the living room where his phone and wallet were, next to his shoes. The clock read 5:12 am and Eren cursed under his breath. There were a few texts and a missed call from Armin. Quickly, Eren called him while slipping on his shoes. 

The first noise that greeted him was the sound of Mikasa’s unhappy whines. 

“Eren! Where are you?” Armin demanded, sounding exhausted and angry. 

The ball of guilt in his stomach grew. 

“I’m on my way home right now Min, I swear,” Eren replied quickly, already stepping out the door. 

“Just get home as fast as possible,” Armin replied, the statement that they would have a talk when Eren got home went unsaid. 

“I’m so sorry Armin!” Eren apologized quickly, before he was hung up on. 

That was the moment that Eren realized he’d left his car at the bar. He let out a growl of frustration. It was too early for him to go wake up Erwin and ask for a ride. The bar was only a few blocks from Erwin’s apartment complex. So, it seemed Eren was going to have a brisk morning run. 

This was certainly not the way Eren had imagined the morning after his first night with Levi and Erwin. Lazy sleepy cuddles, maybe some good morning hand jobs before a cozy breakfast. Not rushing back to his house with a sore ass and the knowledge he’d been an irresponsible parent. But, he also hadn’t intended to sleep with Erwin and Levi on the first date either. Though Eren couldn’t say that he regretted that. 

By the time Eren arrived back at his apartment, it was almost 6 in the morning. As soon as he walked through the door, he could hear Mikasa crying. It was a lot louder and a lot more distressed than earlier on the phone. Armin was waiting in the front room on the floor trying to bounce Mikasa in his arms. He looked absolutely frazzled and exhausted. 

“I’m so sorry Armin,” Eren began as soon as he saw them. 

The look of relief, quickly followed by anger that crossed across Armin’s face, made Eren’s gut clench. 

“It’s not just me you need to apologize to,” Armin replied shortly, with Mikasa desperately trying to wiggle out of his grasp. 

At the sound of her Daddy’s voice, Mikasa had paused her crying, only to start it up again, just to let him know how unhappy he’d been. Now she just wanted to get over to Daddy as quickly as possible. Armin stopped fighting her and put her on the floor. She crawled over to Eren as fast as her little chubby limbs would let her. 

“I’m so sorry baby girl!” Eren crooned, reaching down to pick her up. He held her close to his chest and made cooing noises until Mikasa calmed down to little sniffling breaths. “I’ve never heard her so upset,” he commented to Armin. 

“Well you’ve never been away for so long,” Armin replied snippily. “What the hell happened? You said you’d be back by 12, at the absolute latest!”  
Eren swallowed and tried to find the words to explain what had happened. 

“I just… lost track of time,” he explained. 

That was not a good explanation, based on the intense way Armin’s brows furrowed. 

“You lost track of time?” Armin repeated incredulously. “Until 5 in the morning? Do you have any idea how worried I was? You weren’t answering any of my texts. I thought something terrible must have happened to you, for you to be so irresponsible!” he ranted. “What, did you get raving drunk and pass out at some stranger’s house?” 

Eren let Armin make his tirade, to get all the anger out. Otherwise, Armin could be quite terrifying if he let everything build up. But he did take offense at the last statement. Because though Eren had been reckless and wild in earlier parts of his life, he’d never been a drinker and he certainly wasn’t so irresponsible now. 

Well… with the exception of the unexpected and emotionally driven threesome he’d had last night. 

But that wasn’t quite the same thing. 

“C’mon Min, I don’t do that stuff. Not with Mikasa,” Eren replied defensively. 

“Well what else am I supposed to assume happened?” Armin asked, throwing his arms out. 

“I was on a date! I told you,” Eren said exasperatedly. He added off handedly. “I just happened to go to one of their houses and fall asleep.” 

He hadn’t even realized he’d said too much until Armin replied, “one of their houses!? Meaning more than one person?” 

Oh shit. Eren hadn’t told Armin who he was going out with, or that it was with more than one person. Of course, he knew that if he explained, Armin would have no issue with him dating more than one person. Armin might however, find issue with who those two people were exactly. 

Before Eren could properly come up with a defense, Armin was covering his face with both hands. 

“Please tell me you didn’t neglect your child over some crazy sex thing,” he pleaded defeated.

“No! Of course not,” Eren snapped back. “I mean, we did have sex, but we didn’t plan on it. It’s not just a sex thing with Levi and Erwin.” 

Armin froze and slowly lowered his hands to look Eren in the eye. 

“Levi and Erwin?” he asked. “As in your old TA and Professor Smith?” 

Fuck. 

“Eren that’s problematic on so many levels,” Armin bemoaned. “Borderline illegal. You’re lucky you’re older than most incoming freshman. But still. Your professor Eren?” 

“Look, I know what you’re thinking but it’s not like that,” Eren scrambled to explain. “We were just having an experimental date, not even going to sleep together. But there was some wine and I was crying-“ 

But Armin was laughing in utter disbelief. 

“Eren. I just can’t believe the mess you’ve gotten into!” 

“It’s not a mess!” Eren snapped back. “I don’t regret it and I want to see them again!” 

For a moment, Armin just stared and shook his head. “I can’t deal with this right now. I’m going to bed.” 

Eren watched as Armin stormed away, shaking his head. Of course he knew that Armin was only sleep deprived, frustrated and worried about his wellbeing. As touching as it was that Armin was looking out for him, it was also a little insulting. Eren was a god damned adult and could make his own decisions for better or worse. Even if it included an amazing threesome bang with two guys he’d been crushing on who happened to be his old professor and TA. 

Well, it was shitty of him to forget about Mikasa. He could’ve at least contacted Armin to let him know he was staying overnight. But the actual sex, which had been quite lovely, now that Eren was recalling it, hadn’t harmed anyone. 

Right now though, Eren was exhausted and he could feel that Mikasa had fallen asleep against his shoulder. Perhaps it was time for the two of them to get to bed as well. He fell asleep easily. Even let Mikasa stay cuddled up against him. 

He didn’t even wake up until a few hours later, when he received a text. 

 

Generally speaking, Levi was a light sleeper. So he wasn’t at all surprised to waking up to the sound of Eren crawling out of bed and shuffling around the room. He’d expected to be woken up early, particularly when sharing a bed with 2 other men. But he also didn’t sleep much more than 6 hours a night, so he wasn’t too concerned. It was a little surprising how tired Levi felt when he was woken up. He figured Eren was awake for a shit and that it was early even by Levi’s own standards. So he rolled over to get back to sleep. 

But then, Levi definitely heard the sound of Eren saying something and the door to the apartment opening and closing. Eren had left. 

That brought Levi immediately to full wakefulness, sitting up straight. He glanced around the room in the blue morning light. All of Eren’s clothes were gone. A glance at the clock in Erwin’s room revealed that it wasn’t even 5:30 in the morning. It was Saturday, there was no reason for Eren to need to go so early. 

Needing to be sure that Eren had really gone and hadn’t just stepped out for a call or something, Levi got out of bed and quietly stepped to the front entrance. No shoes left. A quick glance out the door and Levi was met with an empty hallway. 

Huh. Levi frowned and headed back to Erwin’s bedroom, where Erwin was propped up on one elbow and rubbing his eye. 

“Something wrong?” he asked, voice still groggy from sleep. 

“Eren’s gone,” Levi replied, sitting back down with a tired flop. 

“What?” Erwin asked, not understanding. 

“Eren’s gone. Snuck out while we were still asleep,” Levi explained firmly. 

“Oh,” Erwin said. “That. I didn’t expect him to leave so early. Without saying anything.” 

“Like we’re some shameful one night stand,” Levi finished for him. He was confused, but also disappointed. Personally, he’d really enjoyed himself last night and for more than just the sex- which was also pretty great. Unconsciously, he’d been looking forward to another round, one where he got to fuck one of them. Or maybe have his own ass pounded into. 

But Eren had already left. Did that mean he really was ashamed of what happened the night before? Did he not want to face the two of them once he woke up? 

“That doesn’t seem like Eren though,” Erwin commented. “He was so excited to go out with us.” 

“Yeah, there wasn’t even gonna be sex, so I don’t-“ Levi stopped in his train of thought. There hadn’t been any plan for sex. But Levi had initiated something anyway. 

“We moved too fast,” Erwin concluded softly. “Perhaps he felt overwhelmed when he woke up,” he conjectured. 

“Fuck,” Levi muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. “He was all emotional last night and there was alcohol too. Shit, what if he thinks we took of advantage of him? I mean, we didn’t take advantage of him, right?” 

Erwin’s lips were pressed in a line. “I don’t think we intentionally put him in an emotionally vulnerable position in order to get sex out of him,” Erwin explained calmly. “But that doesn’t mean he won’t think we did.” 

“Fuck,” Levi repeated, this time with more venom. 

He’d fucked things up. Last night Eren had seemed into it, Levi had thought he was into it. But he should’ve known not to start something sexual on the first date, especially if Eren was feeling vulnerable. Making out didn’t mean he’d wanted to bone. That’d been a mistake. 

“We need to talk to him and apologize or something,” Levi said. 

“We do, but it’s early now. And our assumptions might be wrong,” Erwin answered. “Let’s get some more sleep and see if he contacts us first. Then we can know for sure. If he doesn’t, then we can offer an apology. He might need some space.” 

Levi nodded. It was a good idea; Erwin was always better at knowing how to deal with difficult situations. 

“Okay,” he agreed. “Hope it’s fine. I like him.” 

“Me too,” Erwin agreed. 

They laid back down, not touching and neither fell asleep easily. 

 

The bitter aroma of coffee slowly brought Erwin to wakefulness. It was calming and pleasant, a contrast to the way his mind was realign with what happened the night before. The small part of himself that had enjoyed himself wanted it to happen again. That part of him wanted to see Eren and Levi again, in a dating sense. The vast majority of his mind- the part that was far more responsible- knew that the night before had been a mistake. 

Why had he even agreed to a date in the first place? He was a professor and his senior of them by more than 10 years. He held a position of authority over both of them. And while sleeping with his TA and former student wasn’t illegal, it was far from professional. Not to mention they’d potentially had dubiously consented sex with Eren.  
Erwin hadn’t even realized how much he’d risked his career and everything he’d worked for, just in one night. 

That wasn’t in his nature. His affection for Eren and Levi was causing a problem. 

At the same time, that small part of himself wanted to do something for himself. But this might be too much. 

With debating these things, he sat up and grabbed some pants. As he suspected, he found Levi in the kitchen with a mug of coffee. 

“I haven’t heard anything from Eren,” he said, not even offering a hello. “Have you?” 

“Good morning Levi,” Erwin replied tiredly, walking over towards the espresso machine. 

He needed some coffee, but he could feel Levi’s impatient stare on him. Erwin was surprised how concerned for Eren Levi was. Seeing that much concern from Levi was unusual. A little surprising, if he was honest. Of course Erwin knew Levi wasn’t’ as cold as he might come off, but seeing him this tense confused him a little. 

“It’s been a few hours,” Levi said, still insistent. 

Erwin took a few sips of coffee before wandering over toward his phone, which happened to be on the counter. There weren’t any messages. 

“Well, I guess we should contact him, make sure he’s okay,” Erwin concluded. 

“You’re writing the text,” Levi stated. “You’re better at that stuff.” 

“Wasn’t that a given?” Erwin replied with a wry smile. It was returned with a sharp glare. Levi was too serious far any sort of joking around. 

Now Erwin was faced with a dilemma. He did want to make sure Eren was okay, that he hadn’t felt hurt over what had happened last night. But Erwin also knew he had to end things now, before they got even more out of hand. It was clear that Levi also wanted to make sure Eren was okay, but perhaps wanted to continue this relationship. 

The option Erwin saw was letting Eren and Levi continue on by themselves. That was the only thing that made sense. They were closer in age. They were more visibly invested in the relationship. How had they ever have been interested in someone like Erwin in the first place? He was far too driven and cold for relationships; Erwin always knew that. It had never been a problem for him before, so he was frustrated with the disappointment he was feeling. There was a tug in his chest, to see Eren again, ask him if he was alright.  
Erwin almost craved the closeness he felt with Eren sitting shoulder to shoulder, legs touching. It was something that he didn’t’ realize he’d been missing for so long. But he shouldn’t. He couldn’t. And Erwin had always been good at pushing feelings off to do what he knew was best. 

And this was best right? Perhaps he was more uncertain than he realized. 

But Erwin needed to move forward. So he began composing a text. 

‘Eren, Levi and I apologize for what happened last night. We understand if you don’t want to see us again. It would be for the best.’ 

Short, to the point. Giving Eren some space and an opt out while also encouragement to do so. Erwin sent the message without letting Levi take a look. There it was done. 

“We’ll just have to wait and see what Eren says,” Erwin announced, putting his phone down. 

Levi nodded. 

It wasn’t much later that Levi left his apartment with an awkward thank you. 

 

A little into the morning, Eren woke up with Mikasa smacking his face. With a small groan, he savored his last moment of rest before getting up. Mikasa made a small babble of complaint. Eren grunted in response before rubbing his eyes and sitting up. Immediately he reached his arm out to steady Mikasa as she slid off his side. 

“Okay baby, let’s get some breakfast,” Eren replied pulling her up into his arms and giving her a small snuggle. 

Getting up, he grabbed his phone and saw he had a text from Erwin. Probably asking him where he went and if he was okay. But he stopped short when he read the words. 

“What?” he muttered aloud, messy brows squishing together. 

What had happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this one was a bit shorter (or about the length I'd initially planned on when starting this fic). I'm been feeling kinda bleh about my writing for this fic, but I got the chapter out. And now there's only one left! 
> 
> As always, you can find me on tumblr at alliechick.tumblr.com. At some point more eruriren and some eruren fics will be on there way from me. Because somebody needs to write shit for these pairings.


	7. Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren is surprised by a text, Levi, and Erwin in that order.

_Swallow My Doubt_

 

Clearly leaving Erwin’s apartment without waking them up had been a mistake, Eren realized. But he hardly had a moment to think of how to reply, Mikasa was wiggling in his arms impatiently. Right he had to get her breakfast. God this morning had been one surprise from his phone to another. Mikasa made another whine and waved her arms. 

“Yes, yes I know!” Eren replied to her, moving toward the kitchen. She hummed with anticipation and bounced in his arms. “Yeah, I’m hungry too girl.” 

In the kitchen, Armin was seated at the table with a cup of coffee and he generally looked more put together than earlier. With a weary glance his way, Eren quietly stepped to the fridge to get some yogurt and a baby food pouch for Mikasa. He brought it all to the table, putting MIkasa in her highchair and opening up the food pouch for her. Then he went in search of some cheerios and poured a pile for her as well. Once she was settled, Eren sat down himself and ate his yogurt. 

The room was awkwardly quiet, save for Mikasa slapping her hands on the tray and cheerios crunching under them. Eren was okay with that, knowing that Armin was probably still upset with him. He didn’t want to fight, in fact he could probably use Armin’s help to figure out what the hell had happened with Erwin and Levi. 

Did they regret what had happened last night? Shit, what if he’d gone too far? It’d just been some making out and a blow job before he’d turned it into full anal. HE pulled his phone out to read the text again. Hold on… Erwin was apologizing. So they must have thought that because he’d left early, he’d been upset or something. But then Erwin had also said it would be for the best if they didn’t see each other again. Did that mean Levi and Erwin didn’t want to date him after all? 

Damnit he was confused. With a groan he pressed his head to the table. Eren was always so bad at these things. Why couldn’t people juts explain everything plainly? 

“You knocked over your yogurt,” Armin commented flatly. 

Immediately, Eren jerked up to see his yogurt cup tipped over and spilling onto the table. Swearing under his breath, he got up and grabbed a wash cloth. It took two trips back and forth from the sink to clean up all the sticky mess. 

“Rough morning, huh?” Armin remarked when Eren slumped back down in his seat. 

“Fuck yeah,” Eren remarked, not even regretting having sworn in front of Mikasa. “But it’s all my fault anyway.” 

“So business as usual then,” Armin replied with a smirk. 

It was an attempt to lighten the mood, Eren could see that, maybe also a sign that Armin was willing to make up. Though Eren wasn’t good at reading other people, he’d known Armin almost since birth and was familiar enough with his tendencies to not have problems. That didn’t make Eren feel better though. 

“God I’m such a fuck up,” he replied instead, running his fingers through his hair.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” Armin replied putting his coffee down. “Look, you did screw up last night, but all young parents make mistakes from time to time. So while I’m still pretty annoyed, I’m forgiving you.” 

Eren turned his pathetic gaze towards his friend. “Your forgiveness is appreciated but I was talking about something else,” he replied. 

“Oh,” Armin responded blankly and took a sip of his drink. “So what else did you do wrong in the last 24 hours?” he asked lightly. 

“You mean besides everything?” Eren replied voice muffled by the way his hands covered his face. He could practically feel the way Armin rolled his eyes at him. 

“Don’t be so overdramatic Eren,” Armin sighed. “I’m not patient enough to deal with your serious take on everything right now. Just tell me what happened.” 

Eren opened his mouth to argue that he wasn’t over dramatic and didn’t take all things too seriously, but he could see from the look on Armin’s face that he was waiting for it. He huffed and fished his phone from his pocket to show Armin the text.

“Okay, before I show you this I need to explain the stuff that happened last night,” he prefaced. 

“The wild threesome sex you had with your professor and TA,” Armin clarified, eyebrows raised in skeptical disapproval. Clearly, he still wasn’t on board with the idea of it. 

“It’s not what you think,” Eren replied defensively. “Really,” he added when Armin opened his mouth to argue. 

“Alright, rationalize yourself out of that one for me,” Armin replied flippantly, but he gestured for Eren to say his piece. 

Fighting the urge to get frustrated with his friend- who was only worried about his well being- Eren took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. As calmly as he could, Eren explained to the best of his abilities his relationships with Levi and Erwin. Mostly it involved a lot of gesturing and frustrated noises, as always was the case when Eren tried to talk about his feelings. But Armin listened carefully and didn’t interrupt him, only speaking to suggest words when Eren struggled with finding the right ones. 

“So like, we were just supposed to go to dinner, as like a test,” Eren explained. “To see if we would work well… in that way. There wasn’t going to be sex at all- didn’t even cross my mind, until- Well, then I started crying and Erwin offered to go to his place so I wasn’t crying in public. And I told them about Mom, Dad, and Mikasa and I cried some more. Then we were kissing and some more stuff happened… But it wasn’t just like a one night thing. Like, they were doing it to help me feel better and I did. Like, it was… uh…” 

“Comfort sex,” Armin offered. 

“Yeah. Comfort sex,” Eren repeated.

“You said you don’t regret it happening, so what is it that you screwed up?’ Armin asked, bringing the conversation back on track. 

“Right, so,” Eren unlocked his phone again and pulled up the text that hard started the whole panic. He handed over the phone to Armin as he continued to explain. “When I woke up and realized I’d forgotten about you and Mikasa, I left real quick. And I didn’t wake Levi or Erwin up, ‘cause it was early and I was in a hurry. But then when I got up just now, I had this text from Erwin and I’m confused and I don’t know what to do.” 

With the end of his tirade, Eren leaned forward with his elbows on the table and looked breathless. Armin calmly put the phone down and looked back at him. 

“Well, you probably shouldn’t have left without waking them up and explaining yourself,” Armin stated. 

“I know that now,” Eren huffed. “But what’s that text supposed to mean? Do they think I regret last night because I left early?” 

“What other conclusion were they supposed to draw?” Armin replied. “They probably worried that you regretted the night before or you felt they took advantage of you. Sounds like you were in a vulnerable place last night.” 

“But it’s not like that!” Eren argued. “They didn’t take advantage of me!” 

“Eren, they both hold a position of power over you, particularly Professor Smith. To anyone else, that’s what’ll look like,” Armin replied. 

“But that’s not- it’s not like that,” Eren repeated, quieter and more desperate. 

“And that might be true, but you need to talk to Levi and Professor Smith about that,” Armin answered. “This is probably all just a misunderstanding and you can go on your merry way making out with your teacher.” 

Eren chose to ignore Armin’s little sarcastic remark and focused on the good bits. This could all be fixed. It was just a small miscommunication. 

“I’m going to text them right now,” Eren declared, reaching for the phone, but Armin stopped him. 

“This is really something you should discuss in person, with both of them,” Armin advised. “To avoid any more confusion over text.” 

Reluctantly, Eren nodded. He was right. Eren had a hard enough time reading situation when there were people there and he had tone, body language, and expression to go on. This was serious enough to need to be in person. 

He’d try and see them as soon as possible. 

 

As soon as possible turned into Monday afternoon on campus. Between Mikasa and shifts at work, Eren didn’t have time to try and contact Erwin and Levi to try to meet up for a talk. There was also that part of Eren that was nervous that Erwin and Levi simply didn’t want to continue the relationship- so he wasn’t quite in the hurry that he probably should have been. But Monday after his classes was the time. Didn’t want the misunderstanding to hang in the air for too long. Monday afternoon Eren knew just where to find Erwin and then they would go to Levi’s spot, because he had office hours then. 

If only it would go that easy. 

Standing in front of Erwin’s office, Eren waited for him to return. It seemed he’d beaten the professor back after class. As he waited, he paced impatiently back in forth in the small section of hallway in front of Erwin’s door. The motion rocked Mikasa to sleep and she rested her head against her daddy’s chest. Eren was glad she napped, as she was starting to tolerate the baby harness less and less as she became more aware and mobile. 

He didn’t even want to start worrying about what he’d do with her next semester. His little girl was getting too big for him to bring to class. But that was a stress he could push to the back of his mind and deal with later. These were enough worries to occupy him in the present without dealing with that. 

Eventually Eren heard steps with the right weight and gait that he’d learned to associate with Erwin. HE moved to the door and looked in the direction he heard them come and waited for Erwin to round the corner. Upon seeing Eren standing there, waiting for him to return like a loyal puppy, Erwin paused his steps. 

“I didn’t expect to see you here Eren,” he stated. 

As far as Eren could tell, Erwin looked neither happy nor unhappy to see him standing there. That was a good enough sign for him. Quickly, Erwin went back to his routine of unlocking his office door, while Eren rapidly spoke to him. 

“Sorry if I’m bothering you, but I think we all had a misunderstanding from Friday night and we should really talk about it together. So I was hoping you had some time to go and find Levi with me and clear everything up,” Eren let out in one long rush, the words having already been rehearsed. 

This time Erwin didn’t pause in opening his door and setting his brief case down. In fact, he hadn’t even glanced at Eren as he spoke. That felt distinctly wrong to Eren. Something was off and he hoped it was just from the whole miscommunication thing. 

When Eren’s little tirade ended, Erwin calmly sat down and spoke. 

“I’m sorry, I thought I’d made it clear in the text that it would be best if we didn’t see each in anything other than a school related capacity.” 

“Yeah, that’s what you said, but if that’s because you and Levi were worried about me, I’m fine-“ Eren began to explain. But Erwin’s calm, ever sensible voice cut him off. 

“While I’m glad you’re fine with that happened on Friday, the matter remains that it would be best if we ended any romantic relations between us,” Erwin replied, formally.

Eren frowned, not understanding. This wasn’t the way Erwin usually talked to him. And Erwin hadn’t been so opposed to getting involved with him before. In fact he’d been more willing than Levi. He didn’t understand what could possibly have changed in the few hours between them all fucking to when Erwin had sent that text. 

“I don’t… I don’t understand why,” Eren said, voice cracking and betraying his feelings. 

“The whole idea of the three of us getting involved is unprofessional and unrealistic. I should have considered the consequences sooner, but it’s simply not a good idea Eren,” Erwin replied. 

“Oh,” was all Eren was able to say; he felt like his head was spinning. 

“I’m truly sorry for letting things go as far as they did. I didn’t intend for this,” Erwin apologized softy. “But I wish you and your daughter the best. You can still come to me for advice if you ever need it.” 

The words were meaningless to Eren. He nodded and bolted out of the room before he burst into tears, without even saying goodbye. He didn’t understand what had just happened. It didn’t feel real. 

He needed to talk to Levi. 

 

Perhaps the thing he had wanted to see the least, what he had dreaded the most, was an upset Eren on campus that Monday. But lo and behold, as Levi was helping a student with her econ homework, who should appear but Eren. Complete with red rimmed eyes and a trembling mouth, like he was trying very hard not to cry. 

Levi tried his best to keep his focus on the student in front of him and listen to her questions. But he an Eren both knew Levi had seen him, despite his best efforts to avoid eye contact. Politely, Eren hovered a little way from where Levi was working and waited to be acknowledged. 

There was only one reason in Levi’s mind as to why Eren would come to him that upset after the radio silence from Friday night. He was hurt and he’d come for an apology or explanation for Levi’s behavior, for taking advantage of the kid. The worst of Levi’s concerns were confirmed seeing Eren looking so heart broken. Levi owed him an explanation, something. 

He was shit at comforting people. Usually he went with the ‘tough love’ or ‘suck it up’ approach. Neither of which were acceptable in this situation. Fuck, what was Levi going to say to the poor kid? 

Levi was pretty certain that at this point, there was little he could do to salvage the relationship. The best he could do was apologize and offer excuses. 

“Levi?” the student asked, and he realized that he hadn’t been listening to her question. 

“Sorry,” Levi grunted. “What were you saying?” 

The student looked between him and Eren, who was standing to the side and watching Levi intently. She must have recognized something was going on. 

“I can come back another time?” she offered awkwardly, already gathering her things. 

“Yeah,” Levi replied dismissively and allowed himself to turn his attention back to Eren. 

The boy’s hands were clenching and unclenching, his weight shifting from foot to foot impatiently as he waited for the other student to leave. As soon as she was out of sight, Eren rushed forward and sat down. 

“Levi,” he said, voice cracking. 

“I’m sorry Eren,” Levi interjected quickly, before he could continue. “We- I, didn’t mean to like… hurt you. I didn’t purposely make you drunk and crying so I could fuck you. So I’m sorry if I started something on Friday that you didn’t want. But you don’t have to keep being around me or whatever,” Levi ended. “I’m sure Erwin feels the same. “

Eren swallowed and his teary eyes dried a little. “Wait, so you think I’m upset that we had sex?” he asked, a hopeful smile on his face. “You don’t think we shouldn’t be in a relationship?” 

That wasn’t the response Levi was expecting. 

“Wait, so you aren’t crying because I blew you and then… that other stuff happened?” he asked slowly, wanting to be sure. “You don’t think we took advantage of you?” 

Wiping his eyes with a laugh, Eren shook his head. “No! I actually really enjoyed myself.” 

“Oh,” Levi stated and sat back in his chair. He felt so relieved. Then he felt confused and a little annoyed. “Then why did you leave at the ass crack of dawn?” he demanded. 

“I wasn’t supposed to stay the night,” Eren explained, pointing to Mikasa, still strapped to his chest. All his recent movement had woken her. “I forgot about Mikasa.” 

Levi nodded in understanding. He’d forgotten about the baby as well. This was slowly turning into a conversation he wasn’t expecting. Then it could take a while. 

“Here, get more comfortable,” he said, noticing that in Eren’s haste he had sat down with his back pack on. “I’ll take Mikasa.” 

Eren nodded like he hadn’t even realized his uncomfortable position and half stood up to slip his bag off his shoulders. Next he pulled Mikasa from her confines and handed her across the table. The baby girl, now fully awake, smiled brightly upon seeing Levi and reached for him. With a warm feeling in his chest, Levi took her and held her close. She rested her head on his shoulder for a moment, before pulling back and patting his face. 

“Hello to you too,” Levi greeted, giving her back a pat. 

“Aww she missed you,” Eren cooed as he rubbed at his shoulders. 

Levi chose to ignore that comment as to avoid blushing and any potential embarrassment associated with that. 

“Okay, so why did you show up here looking like someone shot your puppy?” Levi asked, getting on track. “What did you say about not being in this relationship or whatever?”

At his question, Eren’s face immediately fell into something much more somber. He pulled out his phone and showed Levi the screen. 

“Well Erwin sent me this text and I was confused and worried,” Eren explained. 

As he spoke Levi quickly read the message and frowned when Levi asked Erwin to write a text to check on Eren, he hadn’t meant something like that. It basically told Eren they should all break up. 

“And I figured it was all a misunderstanding, so I wanted to talk to you two face to face about it. But when I stopped by Erwin’s office he was acting all different. And then he said we never should have tried to be in a relationship in the first place,” he continued. He tried to keep his voice even, but Levi could hear the way it wavered. “And I just thought that we had all gotten along so well and that we were all wanting to be a thing.” 

Levi contemplated what Eren had said. He hadn’t felt anything from Erwin that he hadn’t been happy on their date. In fact, Levi could say he’d never seen Erwin so relaxed. It was only on the awkward morning after that Erwin had acted different, but Levi had assumed it was because of concern. 

“Did he give you a reason?” he asked. 

“He said it was unprofessional and unrealistic,” Eren replied. “Which is what my roommate said but I-“ 

Levi didn’t hear the rest of what Eren said, his mind was reeling. That motherfucker. Not professional? Levi knew what he meant by that. He should’ve seen it coming really; it had been surprising that Erwin had indulged them and gone on the date in the first place. 

No, Erwin was doing exactly what he always did and was putting his career first. Sure, it was fine if the miserable old man wanted to sacrifice his own happiness, but this wasn’t just about him anymore. It wasn’t fair of him to toss Eren aside like that, especially if he really did have affection for him. 

Abruptly, he stood up. He couldn’t let Erwin spew this shit anymore. 

“Levi?” Eren asked, confused and concerned at the scowl on his face. 

“Get up, we need to talk to that pretentious asshole,” he answered, adjusting his hold on Mikasa, so he could march down to Erwin’s office and give him a piece of his mind. 

“Oh, okay,” Eren replied standing up and slinging his bag over his shoulder and following him as he headed to the stairs. 

Levi was ready to give Erwin a piece of his mind. 

 

Erwin had definitely caught sight of the hurt look on Eren’s face as he hurried away. IT was unfortunate, but Erwin reminded himself that it had to be done. He couldn’t afford to be selfish and indulge in a three way relationship. Really, it was for the best, even if in the short term it hurt a little. This way things were back to normal, back to how they always should have been, free of distractions. 

That was, until a very irate looking Levi came busting down his door, completely with a baby on his arm, followed by a nervous looking Eren. The poor kid had probably never seen Levi get truly upset, which was quite a sight to behold. 

“What’s this bullshit you’re spouting?” 

Though Erwin had a fairly good idea of what Levi was talking about, he feigned indifference and continued reading through the papers on his desk. 

“You’ll have to be more specific Levi. By your standards I must spout ‘bullshit’ all the time,” he replied coolly. 

A hand slammed down on his desk, over his papers and reluctantly Erwin looked up to meet Levi’s irritated gaze. 

“You know what I’m talking about,” Levi snapped, “What’s this about suddenly backing out of this relationship? I thought we made it clear that if Eren was in, we were too?” 

Behind Levi, Eren shifted nervously, looking ready to grab Mikasa if needed. 

“We never agreed to that,” Erwin answered calmly. “If I recall, the three of us were never officially in a relationship at all. The date was a test run. So there’s no reason for either of you to feel hurt that I’ve changed my mind since then.” 

As Erwin finished his words, Levi looked ready to bite back but Eren stepped forward and spoke first. 

“You’re acting different,” he said, sudden realization coming to his face. “You’re not acting like you normally do around us. You’re threating us like you do you’re other students. All professional.” 

The observation was accurate, but Erwin didn’t respond and lowered his gaze back to his papers. Eren was slowly catching on to his mannerisms. 

“Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on in your head, Smith,” Levi said lowly. “You’re putting your professional life over what you want. Sure, it’s your choice if you want to be a cold, lonely old codger. But this time your choice doesn’t just affect you. You’re cutting off me and more importantly hurting Eren.” 

At these words, Levi pointed his hand to Eren, who looked surprised and glanced away. But Erwin got a good look at him. The red puffy eyes, the dark circles, the way he bit his lip and had that slight hope in his eye, like maybe they would be successful in changing his mind. 

“That’s not fair. It’s not fair to you, to me, and to Eren. He doesn’t deserve that Erwin,” Levi said, shifting Mikasa on his hip as he stepped back. “Think about that before you throw away the chance for happiness in your life.” 

Then he turned and moved to walk out of the office. Eren stepped back to follow, but kept his eyes on Erwin as he did. AT the doorway he paused. 

“I don’t want you to feel have to do anything that you truly don’t want,” he spoke softly. “But I thought you seemed more… alive around us.” He shrugged and turned away sheepishly before he was gone. 

Erwin let out a long breath and leaned back in his chair. The dull thudding pain of a headache was beginning in the back of his head. He hadn’t anticipated Levi being so upset by his action. Certainly he hadn’t expected a lecture. It wasn’t in Levi’s nature to so openly question his decisions like that. The TA usually didn’t get involved in his personal life. But he’d given some things for Erwin to consider. 

Never in his life did Erwin have a hard time setting aside what he wanted for what he should do. Not since he was a child at least. The decision was always clear. What he wanted wasn’t as important as the greater good. This was the first time he’d ever been given pause. Not only had Erwin entertained the idea of something he wanted for so long, he was now reconsidering his decision. 

Levi had awakened that nagging voice in the back of his mind, the one that spoke up when he was alone and feeling the tinges of regret. Usually that regret could be pushed aside quite easily; he could remember everything that he’d achieved and measure the cost against the benefit. Wouldn’t this be the same in a few years? 

But that look that Eren had given him, right before he’d run out of his office. Erwin had just seen him cry several times that weekend, but this was worse. Perhaps because Erwin knew that he was the reason for Eren’s tears. Either way, it affected him. It gave him doubt. Levi was right, he hadn’t considered their feelings too much, beyond rationalizing that Levi and Eren would simply continue dating without him. Maybe even be happier in the long run. That was fair, wasn’t it? 

Erwin sat up straight and gathered his papers, preparing to go home. This was something he needed to think more on. 

 

The next few days found Eren being quiet and clingy. He spent the afternoons he could hanging around Levi. It was surprising when Levi didn’t shoo him away when other students came for help. Surely Eren would’ve thought Levi would be tired of him by now. But Levi let him sit, mopey by his side and occasionally give him a comforting pat. Eren knew it wasn’t like himself to mope, but he couldn’t help it. He missed Erwin and was hurt and now was worried about what would happen between him and Levi. He liked Levi too of course, liked him a lot. But they hadn’t discussed what their relationship was. Were they going to date now? Or were they just close friends? Eren wasn’t sure the two of them could really work without Erwin. 

In fact, Levi and Eren hadn’t talked at all about what had happened. Which left Eren feeling confused and unsure. He was left still feeling heartbroken over his rejection.

When he’d told Armin about the ordeal, he’d tutted and offered his condolences, but said he wasn’t surprised. What did Eren expect though? That his professor risk his reputation to date him and grad student? Which left Eren feeling stupid for having pursued his feelings at all. 

“Hey Eren, are you getting any work done or are you just staring at the wall?” Levi asked, tapping his arm. 

Oh right. Eren was supposed to be doing homework, because as Levi had said ‘if he was going to hang around and pout, he needed to be productive’. He was pretty sure that was Levi’s way of trying to be nice to him. Comforting wasn’t his strong point clearly, but Levi had been helping him with his school work, even if he had other students to work with. 

“Sorry,” Eren muttered before picking up his pencil and continuing his notes. 

Beside him, Levi let out a long breath. “Listen Eren, about Erwin,” he began awkwardly. 

“What about me?” 

Both Eren and Levi startled and looked up to see Erwin around the corner. 

“I thought I might find you two here,” Erwin remarked, coming closer. 

Eren couldn’t help the way his heart leapt at seeing the man standing there and hearing his voice. But he quickly squashed down those feelings. Things weren’t like that anymore. 

“What do you want?” Levi asked sharply. “We’re studying.” 

“I just wanted to speak with you about something. Both of you,” Erwin replied, making eye contact with Levi and Eren in turn. 

There was a flutter in Eren’s stomach and clung to Erwin’s every word. Hope bubbled up in his chest and he knew it was useless, that he was just going to be disappointed, but he watched Erwin eagerly anyway. Beside him, Levi looked unimpressed and glanced wearily at Eren, checking to see if he was alright. 

“Well, get on with it,” Levi urged him. 

Erwin moved forward and let himself have a seat at their table, sitting across from the two of them. 

“First, I’d like to thank you for what you said to me the other day,” he began, looking at Levi. “I needed to hear it. Sometimes I get too caught up in my own head and with what I think is right. I need another perspective at times and you always give that to me Levi.” 

Levi’s face remained stony but he didn’t reply. So Erwin looked to Eren next. His heart was pounding. This sounded too much like exactly what he wanted to hear. It felt like an eternity before Erwin opened his mouth and spoke again. 

“I also need to apologize to you Eren. I didn’t want to hurt you and make you cry.”

“Are you wanting to try it with us again?” Eren blurted out, not being able to contain himself. This couldn’t drag out any longer, he needed to know if his hopes were crushed before they soared any higher. “The dating thing, I mean.”

Erwin blinked, but smiled. “Yes, that’s what I was going to get at-“ 

He was cut off with Eren practically flinging himself across the table to throw his arms around Erwin’s neck. 

“You mean it?” he asked, voice muffled against Erwin’s shoulders. 

“Yes, I’m sorry for being a stubborn, stupid old man about the whole thing,” Erwin apologized. His arms went around Eren and pulled him off the table and into his lap. “You were right. I’m happier with you and I’d like to try a serious relationship with the both of you. If Levi is still interested, that is.” 

Eren pulled up to look back at Levi, eyes shining and face split into a grin. Levi let out a small huff. 

“Don’t think this means I’m not still upset with you Erwin,” he began. “But yes. I’m in.” 

With one arm squeezed around Erwin, Eren gestured for Levi to come close so he could wrap him up as well. Levi rolled his eyes, but moved over while holding Mikasa so Eren could squish against him as well. He couldn’t stop smiling. Not with three of his most important people in his arms. 

“I’m so happy,” Eren murmured. 

He heard Levi mutter something about being sappy before he felt a small kiss pressed to his cheek. Unsatisfied, Eren turned his head and planted his lips on Levi’s mouth for a proper kiss. After which, he turned the other way to kiss Erwin. For good measure, he planted a kiss on the top of Mikasa’s head as well. 

“Well I think Erwin owes a date, to make for temporarily breaking up with us,” Levi declared, still sounding grumpy. 

“Oh really?” Erwin replied. 

“Oh yes!” Eren agreed. “You need to take us out someplace nice. Then maybe we can go back to your apartment and you can make it up to us in other ways as well…” 

“I like the way you think Eren,” Levi concurred. 

“You two aren’t going to let it go anytime soon are you?” Erwin remarked. “You’re going to milk it for all it’s worth.” 

Eren nodded and leaned against him. “Yes. You made me cry, which made Mikasa very upset too. And then Levi had to deal with both of us.”

Erwin rested his cheek against Eren’s head. “I’m sorry. I promise it won’t happen again.” 

“Good.” 

He stayed seated in Erwin’s lap, even though Levi reminded him he had studying to get back too. After which Mikasa would need feeding and a diaper change. Eren still had all the same responsibilities as before, but now he felt lighter. 

There were two strong men to help support him now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand... it's done! 
> 
> Whew. This ended up way longer then it was supposed to be. And took me way longer to write than it should have. But now it's done! 
> 
> Thanks for reading and the support you've given!


End file.
